TREASURY

11 Downing Street

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much 11 Downing street spent on photography in the last year for which figures are available.

John Healey: Photography is not recorded as a separate category of expenditure, so the information on spending, if any, is not held.

Charity and Third Sector

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what role Rod Aldridge plays in the Office of Charity and Third Sector Finance.

Dawn Primarolo: Rod Aldridge does not play a role in the Charity and Third Sector Finance Unit in HM Treasury.

Departmental Expenditure

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on buying, operating and supporting  (a) all commercial software products and  (b) software products produced by Microsoft in each of the last three years.

John Healey: Expenditure on buying, operating and supporting all commercial software products in the last three years is as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2003-04 570,353 
			 2004-05 1,086,768 
			 2005-06 765,249 
		
	
	Expenditure on software products produced by Microsoft is not available, as current Treasury records do not hold the information in this way.
	The additional expenditure in 2004-05 resulted from the purchase of software to support the Treasury's electronic document and records management system.

Departmental Offices

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what area of office space his Department and its agencies used in central London in  (a) 2004 and  (b) 2006; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The area of office space used by the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Department and agencies in central London in  (a) 2004 was 234,971 square metres, and in  (b) 2006 was 233,400 square metres.

HMRC

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the change in the levels of tax collection resulting from the centralisation of HM Revenue and Customs' risk team.

Dawn Primarolo: Our initial estimates are that there could be a potential increase of 10 to 30 per cent. in cost to yield ratios.

Knowledge Economy

Mark Todd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken to implement the recommendation of the Cross-cutting review of the Knowledge Economy that research be undertaken on the economies of pricing of Government information.

Stephen Timms: Many of the recommendations of the Review have been implemented. HM Stationery Office (now the Office of Public Sector Information) introduced an innovative Click-Use on-line Class Licence for easy application for a licence to re-use information covered by Crown copyright. In 2001, the Treasury issued guidance to Government Departments and other Crown bodies on charging for government information.
	The Freedom of Information Act 2000 provided significant access to information while the Government's Wider Markets Initiative and the implementation of the Re-use of Public Sector Information Directive into UK law further opened up public sector information to commercial re-use.
	Given the degree of development in the public sector information market since the Cross-cutting review, the Government have no plans to undertake research into the economies of pricing of government information at this stage.

Licensing Fonts

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on licensing fonts since 1997.

John Healey: This information is not available.

Local Enterprise Growth

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether there will be a third round of Local Enterprise Growth Initiative funding.

John Healey: Sustained investment in LEGI is important. Any confirmation of a third round of LEGI funding, however, is subject to the decision process of the next spending review.

Manufacturing

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 25 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1982W, on manufacturing, if he will clarify which part of the information provided indicates how many jobs there were in manufacturing in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2006.

John Healey: The UK economy is restructuring away from manufacturing towards services, like other advanced economies around the world. According to the Office for National Statistics Labour Force Survey, manufacturing jobs have fallen from 4.51 million in 1997 to 3.32 million jobs now. This has been balanced by a growth of 3.77 million jobs in other sectors.

Reviews

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 18 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1344W, on reviews, how many copies of the report of each review which published a report were  (a) printed and  (b) distributed; which companies were involved in the design, publishing, printing and distribution of each report; what the (i) commissioning and development costs, (ii) publishing and printing costs, (iii) distribution costs and (iv) other media costs associated with each report were; and how many pages comprised the (A) interim and (B) final report of each review.

John Healey: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Smith Institute

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many  (a) Smith Institute events and  (b) events hosted in conjunction with the Smith Institute have been held at No. 11 Downing street in the last 12 months.

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what events have been organised by the Smith Institute and hosted by his office since May 1997.

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what public funds have been given by his Department to the Smith Institute since 1997;
	(2)  how many events his Department and the agencies for which it is responsible have hosted with the Smith Institute since 1997;
	(3)  how many events hosted by the Smith Institute he has held at No. 11 Downing street in the last 12 months;
	(4)  what remuneration was received for the use of No. 11 Downing street from the Smith Institute or SI Events Ltd. for its seminar on positional goods held on 21 September 2006.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions the Smith Institute has  (a) organised and  (b) participated in the organisation of meetings in (i) his Department and (ii) No. 11 Downing street in each of the last two years.

Keith Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions since December 2005 the Smith Institute has held meetings at No. 11 Downing street; and who attended each.

John Healey: No. 11 Downing street is used as a venue for Government meetings, official meetings, meetings with external stakeholders and events by charities. This is fully in accordance with the Ministerial Code and long standing conventions governing the use of Downing street as operated by this and previous Governments.
	Every external organisation who uses No. 11 does so on the same basis: the organisers of events at No. 11 meet all additional costs associated with holding the event. This is to ensure no public funds are used for events held by external organisations.
	Since 1997, 67 separate charities have used No. 11 of which the Smith Institute is one—a list of these charities is included on the Treasury website.
	The Smith Institute was set up in the memory of the late John Smith. It asked in 1997 to use the facility for seminars on a once a month basis and sometimes, when they are conducting a series of seminars, on a more regular basis. As previously reported, the Smith Institute held 27 seminars in the last 12 months. Any charities who use or want to use No. 11 Downing street can apply for more extended access if this is their wish and subject to availability.

Smith Institute

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the  (a) date and  (b) amount was of each payment made to (i) the Smith Institute and (ii) its subsidiary SI Events Ltd. by his Department in each of the last three years.

John Healey: Neither organisation has ever received any direct payments from the Treasury.
	Every external organisation who uses No. 11 does so on the same basis: the organisers of events at No. 11 meet all additional costs associated with holding the event. This is to ensure no public funds are used for events held by external organisations.
	However, we have established that the independent, Government-funded Myners review of the "Governance of Life Mutuals" commissioned a number of research and other organisations including SI Events Ltd., who in November 2004 organised two seminars to inform the work of the review, neither in No.11 Downing street. The Treasury has asked Mr. Myners to provide details of these seminars, including their cost. He has written today to the Permanent Secretary and I have placed a copy of his letter in the Library of the House.

Tax: Electronic Submissions

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what factors led to the increased expenditure in incentive payments for electronic filing from the initial estimate for 2004-05; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The actual expenditure for 2004-05 filings was higher than the initial estimate for online filing incentives because substantially more small employers than anticipated filed online.
	The assumption was that online filing take-up by small employers (fewer than 50 employees) for 2004-05 would be 10 per cent., which equates to a cost of £37 million. These figures reflected the hesitation and reluctance expressed by small employers over the introduction of electronic filing. In fact, 51 per cent. of small employers filed online for 2004-05 at a cost of £225 million.

Tax Credits

Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Hemsworth constituency owe money due to overpayments of tax credits; and if he will make a statement on the ability of low income families to pay arrears created by the system.

Dawn Primarolo: Estimates for 2003-04 and 2004-05 of the numbers of families with tax credits awards, including information on overpayments and underpayments, based on final family circumstances and incomes for 2003-04 and 2004-05 by constituency are published in "Child and Working Tax Credits. Finalised Awards 2003-04. Supplements on Payments in 2003-04. Geographical Analysis." and the "Child and Working Tax Credits. Finalised Awards 2004-05. Supplements on Payments in 2004-05. Geographical Analysis". These publications and provisional estimates for the number of in-work families with tax credit awards as at selected dates in 2005-06 are available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm
	Information on the current number of outstanding overpayments is not available.
	HMRC's policy on tax credits overpayments is set out in their Code of Practice 26 "What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit?"

Tax Evasion

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many employees of  (a) HM Revenue and Customs and its predecessors and  (b) the Valuation Office Agency have been investigated for tax evasion in each of the last three years.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs expects its staff to keep their tax affairs in good order and applies appropriate checks carefully to ensure that they do so. There have been no investigations into tax avoidance by the staff of HM Revenue and Customs (including the Valuation Office Agency) and its predecessors in any of the last three years.

Tourism

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tourism related jobs there are in  (a) Morecambe and Lunesdale,  (b) Lancashire and  (c) the UK.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 1 February 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about tourism-related jobs. (112640)
	In 2005 there were 3,900 tourism-related jobs in Morecambe and Lunesdale, 49,800 in Lancashire and 3,042,900 in Great Britain.
	These estimates are the latest available from the Annual Business Inquiry and, as with any sample survey, they are subject to a margin of uncertainty. They have been obtained by combining figures for employee jobs in the following industries, as identified by Standard Industrial Classification 2003:
	Hotels and other tourist accommodation
	Restaurants, bars and canteens
	Transport
	Travel agencies/tour operators
	Recreation services.

Valuation Office Agency

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what privacy impact assessments have been produced by the Valuation Office Agency in the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: No Privacy Impact Assessments have been produced.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Electoral Commission

Oliver Heald: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what recent assessment the Speaker's Committee has made of  (a) whether the Electoral Commission is fit for purpose and  (b) the Commission's ability to manage a UK-wide referendum.

Peter Viggers: The Speaker's Committee has a statutory obligation to satisfy itself in relation to both the Electoral Commission's estimates and the accompanying five-year plans that, as laid before the House of Commons by the Committee, these are consistent with the economical, efficient and effective discharge by the Commission of its functions.
	The Committee approved the Electoral Commission's 2006-07 estimate and its five-year plan for 2006-07 to 2010-11 on 29 March 2006. It expects to consider proposals for the 2007-08 estimate and a five-year plan for 2007-08 to 2011-12 in the near future.
	However, the statutory functions of the Speaker's Committee do not require it to make the assessments referred to in the question, and it has therefore not done so.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Joint Committee on Human Rights

Douglas Carswell: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission, how much the Joint Committee on Human Rights spent on advisers in each of the past five years.

Nick Harvey: Expenditure by the Joint Committee on Human Rights on specialist advisers' fees and expenses was met by the House of Commons until the start of financial year 2006-07, since when it has been shared between the two Houses. Figures for the expenditure, for each parliamentary Session and each financial year, are published in the House of Commons Sessional Returns.
	The total expenditure on the Committee's part-time specialist advisers in each of the last five full financial years is:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2001-02 1,834.50 
			 2002-03 45,251.15 
			 2003-04 9,151.68 
			 2004-05 3,860.93 
			 2005-06 968.00 
		
	
	The Committee also has a full-time legal adviser (SCS band 2 equivalent). He is a House of Lords employee, but the House of Commons reimburses the House of Lords 50 per cent. of his salary and related costs. The Committee has also employed a full-time committee specialist (Bl) since September 2002 and a second such post will be filled from February 2007.

Joint Committee on Human Rights

Douglas Carswell: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the costs to the House were of the Joint Committee on Human Rights in each of the past five years.

Nick Harvey: The costs to the House of Commons of the Joint Committee on Human Rights are published in the Sessional Returns, which give figures for each parliamentary Session and each financial year.
	For the last five full financial years the figures are as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2001-02 7,229.00 
			 2002-03 99,038.51 
			 2003-04 19,616.80 
			 2004-05 46,585.74 
			 2005-06 40,331.53 
		
	
	These figures include witnesses' expenses, advisers' fees and expenses, visits (UK and overseas), work commissioned, transcription and entertainment.
	These figures do not include printing (which is paid in this case by the House of Lords) and the costs of the permanent staff of the Committee or office costs and expenses, which are not attributed at the level of individual Committees. For most of this period the Committee staff from the House of Commons comprised a deputy principal clerk (SCS band 1), a committee specialist (band Bl), a committee assistant (band B2) and a committee secretary (band C).
	The House of Commons also reimburses the House of Lords 50 per cent. of the salary and related costs of the Committee's legal adviser, who is a House of Lords employee (SCS band 2 equivalent).

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the level of  (a) exports and  (b) imports in Afghanistan in each year between 1995 and 2006.

Hilary Benn: Data on export and import levels is patchy in Afghanistan and only goes back to 2002.
	Afghanistan's exports amounted to $1.3 billion in 2002, $1.9 billion in 2003, and $1.6 billion in 2004 and 2005. In the past year it is expected to increase to $1.7 billion. Expanding the export base is one of Afghanistan's trade policy aims and is a key part of a broader private sector development strategy.
	According to best estimates, Afghanistan imported $2.5 billion worth of goods in 2002. This has been steadily increasing each year to $3.8 billion in 2003, $3.9 billion in 2004, $4.2 billion in 2005 and $4.7 billion in 2006.

Africa: Wood

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had on measures to ensure effective governance of forestry use and control of the timber trade in the rain forests of Africa.

Gareth Thomas: Partnership agreements under the European Union (EU) Forest Law Enforcement and Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan aim to improve forest governance in timber-producing countries and to ensure that only legally-produced timber is traded with the EU. Discussions on agreements have been held with Cameroon, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia and the Republic of Congo. Ghana has now entered into formal negotiations with the European Union. Other countries are expected to announce their wish to start negotiations in the coming months.

Climate Change

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what funding his Department has provided for research into identifying and adapting to the impact of climate change in each financial year since 2001-02; and to which organisations such funding was provided in each year;
	(2)  what funding his Department has allocated in each of the next three financial years for research into identifying and adapting to the impact of climate change; and to which organisations such funding has been allocated.

Gareth Thomas: DFID did not provide funding for climate change research prior to 2006-07.
	DFID has entered into an arrangement with Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) to provide funding for research into how poverty-stricken people can best adapt to climate change. IDRC has overall management of the programme which is giving research grants to African organisations and their partners. The programme went live in May 2006.
	DFID is providing £24 million to the programme over the five financial years 2006-07 to 2010-11. IDRC is providing C$15 million over the same period. DFID will provide £4 million in 2006-07 and £5 million in each of the four subsequent financial years.
	In line with the third White Paper commitments, we will be significantly increasing climate change research in addition to the aforementioned funding described. Consultation is being conducted at the moment as to further research programmes.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to encourage transparency over mining activities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Hilary Benn: DFID is encouraging transparency in mining activities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) through the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). Support to this way of improving revenue transparency is a major part DFID's planned support in the minerals sector in DRC. The Government of DRC signed up to the EITI in March 2005. Since then important progress has been made in implementing EITI. A multi-stakeholder national EITI Committee was established by Presidential Decree in November 2005 charged with ensuring the DRC implementation process complies with EITI criteria. In February 2006, the DRC Government named members of the EITI Committee and allocated a budget for its operations from the Government's finances. In addition, an EITI baseline study for the exploitation of copper, cobalt and diamonds is currently under way.
	However, a lot more work will be needed before EITI is fully implemented in the DRC. Continued political commitment from the newly-elected DRC Government as well as capacity building and improved co-ordination within relevant DRC Government institutions will be crucial. Strong engagement from civil society, the private sector and wider international community stakeholders will also be required. When the new Government is in place, we will press them to take early action to improve transparency in natural resource management.
	DFID is also developing plans for public-private partnerships with a select group of international mining companies to support local development priorities in mining areas and to encourage responsible business behaviour.

Middle East

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the operation of the Temporary International Mechanism to Deliver Assistance to the Palestinian People; and whether decisions have been made about enlarging the mechanism.

Hilary Benn: The UK Government are extremely concerned about the humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territory. We are committed to helping the Palestinian people through the EU-led Temporary International Mechanism (TIM) and other projects. The causes of the deteriorating humanitarian situation include the conflict with Israel and among Palestinians; an economic downturn due to movement and access restrictions and the Palestinian Authority's (PA) fiscal crisis, which has meant it has been unable to pay salaries.
	The TIM has been delivering on the ground since July 2006. DFID has pledged up to £12 million through the TIM of which £9.7 million has been disbursed: £3 million for essential health supplies; £3 million for water, sanitation and electricity; and £3.7 million for people who have suffered a severe loss in income such as teachers, hospital workers and pensioners.
	The TIM has been extended by the Quartet (EU, US, Russia, UN) twice, most recently in late December for three months. Following this decision, the EU has agreed to increase the number of recipients, while maintaining the rigorous auditing procedures that have been applied so far.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Committees: Ministerial Attendance

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on what occasions  (a) she and  (b) departmental Ministers have been requested to appear before committees of (i) devolved institutions and (ii) the European Parliament since 2004; on what topic in each case; how many and what proportion of such requests were accepted; and if she will make a statement.

David Lammy: All the information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, a DCMS Minister was invited to appear before the European Parliamentary Committee on Culture and Education on 12 July 2005 to set out the UK Presidency agenda in the field of culture. I attended the meeting on 12 July 2006 as Minister for Culture.

Cultural Heritage: European Union

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what position the Government have taken on the  (a) proposal to establish an European Union Cultural Heritage Agency and  (b) selection of a host nation for the agency.

David Lammy: I am not aware of any current proposals to establish a European Union Cultural Heritage Agency.

Engagements

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many properties  (a) owned and  (b) managed by English Heritage (i) the Secretary of State, (ii) the Minister for Sport, (iii) the Minister for Culture and (iv) the Minister for Media and Tourism have visited in an official capacity in the last five years.

David Lammy: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State visited Stonehenge in 2006.
	As Minister for Culture, I have visited seven properties managed by English Heritage. My predecessor, Lord McIntosh of Haringey, visited five properties managed by English Heritage between 2005 and 2003. Between 2003 and 2001, Baroness Blackstone, Minister of State for the Arts, visited four properties managed by English Heritage. Of these one is also owned by English Heritage.
	The Minister for Sport and the Minister for Creative Industries and Tourism have not visited any properties owned or managed by English Heritage in their official capacities.

Heritage Lottery Fund

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which communities will receive awards from the £150 million Heritage Lottery Fund announced in 2006 for deprived communities and town centres, broken down by region.

David Lammy: Between 1998 and 2006, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has awarded over £156 million to 190 projects through its Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) programme. The programme targets local partnerships to repair and regenerate historic areas. In 2006 the HLF announced that £13 million of grants would be awarded to the following 13 THI schemes across the UK:
	
		
			  Recipient  Region  Pass (£) 
			 Long Eaton, Derbyshire East Midlands 957,000 
			 Bedlington, Northumberland North-east 587,000 
			 Armley, Leeds North-west 1,090,000 
			 Chapeltown road, Leeds North-west 802,000 
			 Richhill, County Armagh Northern Ireland 747,000 
			 Dalkeith, Midlothian Scotland 1,273,000 
			 Dysart, Fife Scotland 1,587,000 
			 John Finnie street and Bank street, Kilmarnock Scotland 1,990,000 
			 The Green, Aberdeen Scotland 1,400,000 
			 Shepton Mallet, Somerset South-west 250,000 
			 Stokes Croft, Bristol South-west 535,000 
			 Oswestry town centre, Shropshire West Midlands 579,000 
			 Willenhall, west midlands West Midlands 960,000 
		
	
	A further £15 million has been allocated for the next round of projects in the 2007-08 financial year.

Licensed Premises: Opening Hours

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what modifications she is considering to the current law on pub and club opening hours; and what has prompted her to consider modifications.

Shaun Woodward: We are not proposing any modifications to the Licensing Act 2003 so far as it relates to hours of trading.
	We are consulting on changes to the current statutory guidance to local authorities on the 2003 Act which clarify our existing policy on licensing hours, i.e. that the licensing objectives (including the prevention of crime and disorder and public nuisance) must be paramount considerations in any licensing decision.
	We originally clarified these issues in September 2005 and they need to be incorporated into the terms of the guidance.
	These changes were prompted by a misplaced perception among a minority of stakeholders in 2005 that the guidance includes a presumption in favour of longer opening hours.

Olympics

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to promote British culture as part of the 2012 Olympics.

David Lammy: The London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games will offer a unique opportunity for the British people to engage with and participate in a major cultural celebration.
	From the closing ceremony of the Beijing Games in 2008, the UK will commence its "Cultural Olympiad" which will contribute to an enhanced and positive image of the UK. It will be a developing four-year period of cultural activity designed to reflect the key themes of the 2012 Games—celebrating London and welcoming the world; inspiring and involving young people; and generating a positive legacy.
	The London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games is working with a range of partners to develop its plans for how the Cultural Olympiad will be delivered across the UK.

Television Licences

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many and what proportion of television licences were  (a) paid and  (b) evaded in the 12 months (i) before and (ii) after the ending of the BBC contract with the Post Office for the collection of such fees.

Shaun Woodward: TV licences ceased to be sold at post offices at the end of July 2006 and the comparative figures requested are not therefore available. The BBC as licensing authority recommends the use of financial year evasion figures, because of seasonal fluctuations in sales. As at 31 March 2006, of the estimated total number of premises requiring a TV licence 95.4 per cent. held a licence and 4.6. per cent did not.

Television Licences

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 24 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1771W, on television licences, what steps her Department is taking to monitor how the duty under the Royal Charter is applied.

Shaun Woodward: It is not the role of Government to monitor the individual activities of the BBC or its agents. The BBC Trust is the regulator of the BBC and the Government are confident that the trust will discharge its functions properly.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Best Value Performance Indicators

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  for what reason her Department decided to delete Best Value Performance Indicator 180, on energy consumption;
	(2)  how many Best Value Performance Indicators were collected in total in each year since the introduction of Best Value; and how many will be collected for 2006-07;
	(3)  what assessment she has made of the accuracy of Best Value Performance Indicator 202, on rough sleeping, as an indicator of the actual level of rough sleeping.

Phil Woolas: The information requested is as follows:
	 Best Value Performance Indicator 180
	Best Value Performance Indicator 180 was deleted with effect from 1 April 2005 as a result of difficulties in the development of guidance that would enable authorities to produce robust and reliable data. However, most of the information is provided by local authorities through Property Performance Indicator 4, which is one of a number of performance indicators used to report management of local authority capital assets In the 2006 Climate Change Programme and the Local Government White Paper the Government made a commitment that the post 2008 performance framework will include an appropriate focus on climate change.
	 Collection of Best Value Performance Indicators
	Details about the number of Best Value Performance Indicators (BVPIs) that have been collected since the introduction of Best Value is available on the Department's website: http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1136106. A total of 90 BVPIs will be collected in 2006-07.
	 Best Value Performance Indicator 220
	Local authority returns on Best Value Performance Indicator 202 (BV202) are based on the results of recent rough sleeping counts or, in areas where a count has not taken place, locally informed estimates. Local authorities are expected to submit their returns in accordance with BVPI guidance which replicates my Department's published guidance on how and when a rough sleeping count should take place. This guidance was developed in association with the voluntary sector and independent evaluation has consistently shown it to be the most effective method for evaluating the changing levels of people sleeping rough.

Council Tax Revaluation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the initial average draft value was of the coefficient applied to the variable for the FC dwelling house code by the Valuation Office Agency before the council tax revaluation in England was postponed.

Phil Woolas: No figure is available.

Departmental Offices

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what area of office space her Department and its agencies used in central London in  (a) 2004 and  (b) 2006; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The area of office space used by Communities and Local Government in central London in 2004 and 2006 is as follows:
	
		
			  Sq m 
			   2004  2006 
			   Floor space in buildings occupied in whole  Floor space in buildings occupied in part  Floor space in buildings occupied in whole  Floor space in buildings occupied in part 
			  Freehold property 
			 26 Whitehall — 5,045 — 5,045 
			 Total 5,045 5,045 
			
			  Leasehold property 
			 Eland House 22,650 — 22,650 — 
			 Ashdown House — 6,727 — 6,727 
			 Portland House 2,163 — — — 
			 Exchange Tower 710 — 710 — 
			 Allington Towers — — — 1,911 
			 Sub total 25,523 6,727 23,360 8,638 
			 Total 32,250 31,998 
		
	
	The Department's occupation of 26 Whitehall ceased at the end of October 2006 apart from the Equalities Review Team, a body sponsored by Communities and Local Government, which remained in 26 Whitehall but the occupation is not expected to continue after the end of this financial year. Communities and Local Government is not being charged for the space occupied. In place of 26 Whitehall the Department took 1,981 sq m on two floors in Stockley House from the beginning of November. These are unoccupied but will be occupied temporarily in 2007 as decant space to enable the reorganisation of Eland House to full open plan standard. The move to open plan in Eland House is part of the Department's plan to rationalise its central London buildings by March 2008.
	These figures do not include Government Office for London which performs functions on behalf of 10 Government Departments. The only Agency in central London is the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre which has not been included in the answer as it does not function as an office.

Fire Service

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many firefighters died on duty in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available, broken down by fire authority.

Angela Smith: Details of firefighter deaths while on operational duty (attending fires and other incidents) are as follows:
	
		
			  Firefighter deaths while on operational duty: England 1997-2006 
			   Number  Fire and Rescue Service 
			 1997 0 None 
			 1998 0 None 
			 1999 1 Greater Manchester 
			 2000 1 Hampshire 
			 2001 0 None 
			 2002 1 Leicestershire 
			 2003 1 Greater Manchester 
			 2004 2 London 
			 2005 2 Hertfordshire 
			 2006 2 East Sussex 
			  Source:  Fire and Rescue Service returns to Communities and Local Government

Local Authority Buildings

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what  (a) advice and  (b) guidance her Department has given to local authorities on providing facilities in the local authority's buildings to trade unions (i) free and (ii) at below market rates.

Phil Woolas: I am not aware that Communities and Local Government or any of its predecessor Departments has issued advice or guidance on this topic.

Ministerial Visits

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many times she has visited the constituency of Bolton South East in a Ministerial capacity in the last 12 months; and what plans she has for such visits in the future.

Angela Smith: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has visited the constituency of Bolton South East in a ministerial capacity once in the last 12 months. There are not currently any future plans to visit the constituency in a ministerial capacity.

Parish Councils

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her policy is on increasing the number of parish council representatives on the East Midlands Regional Assembly.

Yvette Cooper: It is up to the East Midlands Regional Assembly to decide its composition within the terms of relevant legislation.
	I understand that currently two parish councillors serve on the East Midlands Regional Assembly.

Parliamentary Questions

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether officials in her Department have discussed with other Departments co-ordinating responses to round robin written Parliamentary questions in the last 12 months.

Angela Smith: The Government made clear in their response to the Third Report of Session 2003-04 from the Public Administration Select Committee, that while Government Departments may liaise with each other when they receive the same question, this co-ordination
	"does not cut across the line of ministerial accountability which is that it is for individual Ministers to decide on the final content of an answer to a Parliamentary Question".(1)
	(1) Page 3, HC 1262, Ministerial Accountability and Parliamentary Questions: Government Response to the Committee's Third Report—First Special Report of Session 2003-04.

Regional Government

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department has abandoned the principles of  (a) double devolution,  (b) neighbourhood governance and  (c) earned autonomy.

Phil Woolas: When Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) was introduced, earned autonomy was seen as a driver to improve performance. Now that over 70 per cent. of local authorities have achieved a 3 or 4* CPA rating, we can move onto presumed autonomy. The Local Government White Paper proposals devolve more power to local authorities and lift centrally imposed burdens on them. As the White Paper makes clear, Government have not changed their policies in regard to double devolution or neighbourhood governance.

Special Advisers: Travel

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) destination and  (b) total costs were of each occasion when special advisers in the former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister travelled abroad in an official capacity since 2002.

Angela Smith: All travel is undertaken in accordance with the "Ministerial Code" and the "Civil Service Management" Code. The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Trade Unions

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what legislative changes her Department has initiated which were designed to affect trade unions directly in the last three years.

Angela Smith: Neither Communities and Local Government nor the former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister have initiated any legislative changes in the past three years which have been designed to directly affect trade unions.

Valuation Office Agency

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions the Valuation Office Agency has had on the frequency of council tax revaluations.

Phil Woolas: None.

TRANSPORT

A21: East Sussex

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to upgrade the A21 between Flimwell and Hurst Green.

Stephen Ladyman: The Highways Agency has no plans at present to upgrade the A21 between Flimwell and Hurst Green within its Targeted Programme of Improvements.
	The A21 Flimwell to Robertsbridge Improvement has not been included by the South East region as a priority for funding within its Regional Funding Allocation for major transport schemes in the period up to 2016.

A21: East Sussex

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which properties he expects to be purchased under compulsory purchase orders in each area along the route of the proposed A21 upgrade in East Sussex.

Stephen Ladyman: It is too early to say at this time how many properties will be included in any future draft Compulsory Purchase Orders for the proposed A21 upgrade in East Sussex. Potential land and property requirements can only be identified once detailed design has been completed.

Airport Luggage Thefts

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of luggage thefts at Manchester airport in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what recent steps he has taken to prevent theft at airports;
	(3)  what steps his Department has taken to co-ordinate work with police forces in order to reduce theft at airports;
	(4)  what recent steps he has taken to reduce incidents of luggage theft at Manchester Airport.

Gillian Merron: The prevention of theft at airports is a matter for the airport operator. Theft, regardless of where it takes place, is a criminal matter for the police to pursue.

Buses: Staffordshire

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents involving buses there were in Staffordshire in each of the last five years.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of reported personal injury road accidents involving a bus that took place in Staffordshire in each of the last five years is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Accidents involving a bus in Staffordshire: 2001-05 
			   Number of accidents 
			 2001 164 
			 2002 167 
			 2003 184 
			 2004 131 
			 2005 101

Committees: Ministerial Attendance

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what occasions  (a) he and  (b) departmental Ministers have been requested to appear before committees of (i) devolved institutions and (ii) the European Parliament since 2004; on what topic in each case; how many and what proportion of such requests were accepted; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, his predecessors and other departmental Ministers have not appeared before the specified committees since 2004. It is not possible to provide the more detailed information requested without incurring disproportionate cost.

Cycling

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what resources his Department  (a) has provided in the last two years and  (b) intends to provide in the next two years for the creation of a bicycle-friendly road network.

Tom Harris: The Department provides funding for cycling through the integrated block of the Local Transport Plan (LTP) settlement. English local highway authorities outside London have informed the Department that their investment in cycle-friendly infrastructure on or around the road network for each of the last two years is £39 million in 2004-05 and £34.1 million in 2005-06. The Department does not require local authorities to provide an estimate of future spend on cycling so no data are yet available for 2006-07 and 2007-08. The integrated block element of the LTP settlement was worth £547 million in 2006-07.
	The Mayor of London receives funding from the Department via a total transport grant through Transport for London (TfL) and received £2.2 billion in both 2004-05 and 2005-06. TfL estimate they have invested £8.49 million in 2004-05 and £12.1 million in 2005-06 on cycle schemes on or around the road network with the majority of expenditure coming from this source. TfL forecast spend will be £15.4 million in 2006-07 and 20.5 million in 2008-09.
	In addition, the Department set up Cycling England in 2005 with a budget of £5 million for 2005-06 to fund their work to encourage more cycling of which £3.1 million was invested in cycle-friendly infrastructure. The Secretary of State has since doubled Cycling England's budget to £10 million a year of which £5.7 million has been allocated in 2006-07 on cycle infrastructure and forecast that in 2007-08 will spend a further £3.5 million. The Department also made a one-off investment of £10 million to extend the National Cycle Network to 305 schools in 2004-05.

Driving: Mobile Phones

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department has taken to include information on the dangers of using a mobile phone while driving in its safer driving campaign; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: I refer my hon. Friend to my reply of 30 January 2007,  Official Report, column 249W, to the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Carmichael).

Eddington Report

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many officials from his Department worked on the Eddington report.

Gillian Merron: Sir Rod was supported by a team of 10 full-time civil servants; the team being made up of five people from the Department for Transport and HM Treasury respectively.

Government Auctions

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport where his Department publishes information about Government auctions  (a) which it arranges and  (b) to which it contributes in (i) Blackpool, (ii) Lancashire and (iii) the North West; and when the next such auction will take place in each area.

Gillian Merron: The Driver Vehicle and Licensing Agency and the Highways Agency—both Executive Agencies of the Department for Transport, undertake auctions. These are publicised via various means including, but not limited to, the National Press, selected motoring press, auction catalogues and via direct marketing to customers who have asked to receive them. There is no specific regional promotional activity undertaken.
	There are no auctions planned for Blackpool or in other towns in Lancashire. Auctions have taken place in, and are planned for other towns in the North West.

Government Car and Despatch Agency

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2007,  Official Report, column 752W, on the Government Car and Despatch Agency, what charge was made by the Government Car and Despatch Agency to  (a) HM Treasury and  (b) the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in 2005-06 to recover its costs for ministerial transport; and what the estimated charge is for 2006-07.

Stephen Ladyman: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 8 November 2006,  Official Report, column 1574W, given to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles).

Maritime and Coastguard Agency

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps the Maritime and Coastguard Agency takes to evaluate the communication levels among mixed nationality crews on UK ships.

Stephen Ladyman: Under the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers 1978 as amended in 1995 (STCW), foreign officers working on UK ships must obtain a Certificate of Equivalent Competency (CEC) from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). One of the criteria for issuing a UK CEC is that the applicant must demonstrate their command of the English language.
	In addition the MCA audits all UK registered ships for compliance with the International Safety Management Code. As part of this audit process the MCA Marine Surveyor requires the ship's crew to conduct physical operational drills to demonstrate their familiarity with equipment and their ability to communicate and cooperate with each other.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps the Government are taking to provide greater purchase incentives for smaller, cleaner vehicles.

Stephen Ladyman: Incentives to purchase cleaner vehicles include:
	Vehicle Excise Duty, which is graduated according to a car's CO2 emissions;
	Company Car Tax, which is also geared to CO2 emissions; and
	the cost of fuel duty.
	These incentives relate to running costs rather than purchase cost but they have a direct effect as considerations when purchasing a vehicle. The introduction last year of more informative labelling in car showrooms reinforces this message.
	As differences in the size of the vehicle do not in all cases relate directly to differences in the vehicle's emissions, incentives are based on emissions levels and not size.

Office for Disability Issues

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 14 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1269W, on the Office for Disability Issues, on what dates the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State has attended meetings of the Office for Disability Issues since its establishment.

Gillian Merron: Since I became responsible for the ODI agenda in my Department, there have been four meetings of the "Life Chances" Ministerial Group, of which I have attended three. Senior officials from DfT are always present. Information relating to internal discussion is not normally made public, as it could undermine the effectiveness of policy discussion and advice.

Parking

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will issue guidance to relevant authorities on the placing of signs setting out the hours of single yellow line parking restrictions.

Gillian Merron: Guidance on the placing of signs for yellow line restrictions is published in Chapter 3 of the Traffic Signs Manual.

Parking: Decriminalisation

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many local authorities in  (a) England and  (b) Greater Manchester have decriminalised parking offences within their boundaries; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: In England at present 160 local authorities (including those in Greater Manchester) and (excluding those in London) have Decriminalised Parking Enforcement (DPE) powers. In Greater Manchester nine local authorities have DPE. The Government encourage authorities to consider adopting such powers, and believes authorities are best placed to determine whether they should do so or not.

Parkway Station: Gloucestershire

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport at what stage the application for Government funding to build a parkway station at Elmbridge Court, Gloucestershire, between Gloucester and Cheltenham is; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 30 January 2007
	The scheme is currently being assessed by the Department, but we are awaiting further information from the local authority before we can take any decision.

Road Building and Improvements

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of trunk road and motorway are scheduled for widening in the next five years.

Stephen Ladyman: The following table provides details of motorway and trunk road schemes scheduled for widening in the next five years, subject to the satisfactory completion of statutory processes and availability of funding.
	
		
			  Project name  Start of works  Length of scheme (miles) 
			 A3 Hindhead improvement January 2007 4.04 
			 M1 J31-J32 widening January 2007 1.24 
			 A595 Parton-Lillyhall improvement January 2007 3.23 
			 A1 Bramham-Wetherby (including Wetherby bypass) Spring 2007 6.21 
			 M1 J21-30 widening (Phase 1) Summer 2007 14.60 
			 A14 Haughley New St.-Stowmarket improvement Summer 2007 2.49 
			 M25 J1b-3 widening Summer 2007 2.67 
			 A1 Dishforth to Barton Spring 2008 24.67 
			 M27 J11-J12 Climbing Lanes Spring 2008 1.99 
			 M27 J3-J4 widening Spring 2008 2.55 
			 A421 Bedford to M1 J13 Autumn 2008 8.02 
			 M1 J10-13 widening Winter 2008 14.17 
			 M62 J25-J27 widening Winter 2008 7.21 
			 M25 J16-23 widening Winter 2009 22.12 
			 A453 widening (M1 J24 to A52 Nottingham) Winter 2009 7.15 
			 M1 J39 -J42 widening Spring 2009 6.59 
			 M62 J27-J28 widening Summer 2009 3.29 
			 A14 Ellington-Fen Ditton improvement Spring 2010 22.56 
			 M1 J21-30 Widening (Phase 2) Spring 2010 37.84 
			 A21 Tonbridge to Pembury Spring 2010 2.55 
			 M25 J27-30 widening Summer 2010 14.04 
			 M1 J34-J37 widening Winter 2011 10.00 
			 A47 Blofield to North Burlingham Dualling Spring 2011 2.49 
			 A23 Handcross to Warninglid widening Spring 2011 2.36 
			 M1 J32-J34 widening Spring 2011 7.39 
			 M1 J30-J31 widening Summer 2011 5.90

Speed Limits: Driving Offences

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of speed awareness courses.

Stephen Ladyman: Speed awareness courses are regulated and operated by police forces, The Department for Transport is one of the members of a national steering group advising the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) on the provision of these courses. The ACPO group is currently issuing guidance on how a national speed awareness course should be developed based on research commissioned by the Department and published in March 2006.
	The current provision of speed awareness courses is confined to a few police force areas only. No assessment of the effectiveness of the courses can be made until course provision is more widespread and more consistent. The timing of any effectiveness study depends on progress made by ACPO in developing and rolling out a national course.
	In expectation of the speed awareness course provision becoming national in the near future, the Department is in the process of commissioning a study collecting baseline data to be used in a future effectiveness study.

Toll Roads

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what contact has been made with the users of the Dart-Tag system as part of the consultation process on the proposed changes to the Dartford river crossing.

Stephen Ladyman: A consultation on charges at the Dartford crossing was launched on 16 December 2006—anyone is invited to comment.

Traffic Area Offices

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the reasons are for the delay in centralising licensing work to the Leeds Traffic Area Office; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: There has been no delay in the project to centralise the administration of operator licensing at Leeds Traffic Area Office (TAO). The intended completion date remains 31 March 2007.
	Within the project, timeframes for different areas of work have been continually adjusted to meet the needs of the individual traffic areas.

Traffic Area Offices

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effects on the work of the Leeds Traffic Area Office of the delay in centralising licensing work; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: There has been no delay in the project to centralise the administration of operator licensing at Leeds Traffic Area Office (TAO). The intended completion date remains 31 March 2007.
	Leeds TAO has consistently met its published standards of service throughout the licensing centralisation project. The work carried by Leeds TAO continues to be of a high standard.

Travel: Sustainable Development

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether there are plans to extend the Sustainable Travel Demonstration Town scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 31 January 2007
	The Sustainable Travel Demonstration Towns project started in 2004 and we have had the first two years' results of this five-year project. The interim results so far seem encouraging with overall increases in walking, cycling and use of public transport and a fall in car use. We will look closely at whether these results are maintained before any decision is made to extend it.

Vehicle and Operator Services Agency

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he had had with  (a) Deloitte and Touche and  (b) stakeholder groups on the possible outsourcing of work carried out by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency; and what the outcome has been of those discussions.

Stephen Ladyman: The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) are currently undertaking discussions with  (a) Deloitte and Touche and  (b) stakeholder groups on the possible outsourcing of elements of its work. The outcome of these discussions will be presented to Ministers in spring/summer 2007.

WALES

Departmental Expenditure

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the expenditure by his Department on buying, operating and supporting  (a) all commercial software products and  (b) software products produced by Microsoft was in each of the last three years.

Peter Hain: Since April 2004 all computer systems and software products in my Department are supplied by the Department for Constitutional Affairs under their contracts.
	Figures for the Wales Office could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

Olympic Games

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on delivering the benefits of the Olympic Games to the whole of the UK with particular reference to the creation of manufacturing jobs for the production of sustainable materials in  (a) Blaenau Gwent and  (b) Wales.

Peter Hain: Wales has an important contribution to make to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and I meet periodically with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to review progress towards maximising the benefits to Wales.
	Companies, large and small, in a range of sectors from construction to manufacturing, will be needed to deliver the Games, creating valuable procurement opportunities. The Assembly Government is setting up a Wales 2012 Innovation, Science and Technology group to identify the best of Welsh scientific and technical innovation with potential commercial applications that can be applied to the Games.
	Any business can register its interest in being a supplier to the Games through the London 2012 website. As of 26 January, 533 businesses in Wales had done so.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Domestic Heating Costs

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department plans to assist those people with a disability who require the setting of high temperatures in their homes to fund domestic heating costs.

James Purnell: Disability living allowance, together with the disability premiums in the income-related benefits and the disability-related additions in tax credits, already provide a contribution towards the extra costs, including heating, faced by disabled people. Disabled people who receive a disability premium also receive cold weather payments in periods of very cold weather. Winter fuel payments provide further help to eligible disabled people aged 60 or over. We have no plans to alter or extend these arrangements.

Health and Safety Inspections

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what meetings he has had with Commissioners of the Health and Safety Commission to discuss the frequency of inspections of places of higher education in each of the last five years.

Anne McGuire: No DWP Ministers have had meetings with members of the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) to discuss these matters during the last five years. Ministers do however meet regularly with the Chair of HSC to discuss workplace health and safety issues.
	 Background
	1. In marshalling HSE's inspection resource, HSE seeks to target poor performers. The key criteria in establishing the frequency of inspections are the risks presented by particular duty holders, premises or industries and the ability and willingness of duty holders to manage those risks. Where the risk is low and duty holders' ability high, visits are less frequent than where the risk is high and duty holders are failing to manage those risks. In targeting the inspection resource in this way, HSE believes it has the greatest impact on reducing work-related deaths, injuries and ill health.
	2. In 2003, HSE ceased to set targets for the number of inspection contacts. Such targets encouraged short visits to low risk places, whereas the Health and Safety Commission's strategy for workplace health and safety 2010 sought a sharper focus on injury and ill health priorities, and more substantial contacts with a carefully selected range of duty holders. Over the last five years or so, the actual time HSE inspectors have spent interacting with and encouraging duty holders has increased by 23 per cent.
	3. Important as inspection is, the frequency of inspections is not a particularly useful metric. The Health and Safety Commission's strategy fully recognises the importance of inspection, and the threat of enforcement, as a powerful motivator for improved standards. But to be most effective, they need to sit alongside other interventions, such as encouraging partnership working, communications, and so on.
	 Inspection in Higher Education
	1. HSE sees higher education as a mature sector. The risks are for the most part well known (including those associated with laboratory work with hazardous chemicals), well understood, well managed and there are well-established networks and institutions for their management. In line with the approach set out in the aforementioned paragraphs 1-3, HSE has therefore no general proactive inspection programme.
	4. However, this year, some proactive inspection will take place examining higher education institution's management of work-related stress—HSE inspectors will visit about 120 universities. Work-related stress is one of the priority topics identified in the Commissions strategy for workplace health and safety 2010.
	5. This inspection activity follows a series of seminars in the autumn of 2006, to which all higher education institutions were invited—and which nearly 50 per cent. of all institutions attended—designed to equip institutions with knowledge and skills to tackle work-related stress through the use of HSE's Stress Management Standards. This programme of inspection will look at whether the Management Standards (or any equivalent approach) is being used, or if it is, assist in ensuring action is maintained.
	6. A second programme of inspection activity will look at the management of slipping and tripping hazards—a hazard the sector recognises as a particular issue—another of the Commission's priority topics. These inspections will follow a series of nationwide seminars run by HSE, in partnership with the sector, which will equip attendees with the knowledge and skills to manage slips and trips.

Personal Accounts

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how the figure of increased cost to employers of around 0.7 per cent. of labour costs on average set out on page 36 of the White Paper, Personal Accounts: a new way to save was reached.

James Purnell: The figure 0.7 per cent. is derived from expressing the estimated cost of minimum employer contributions, £2.8 billion, as a percentage of total labour costs.
	These figures were estimated using the Employers Pension Provision Survey 2005, Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Statistics 2005 and Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2005, as set out in paragraph 4.96 of the regulatory impact assessment.

Personal Accounts

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how the estimate that seven million people are under-saving referred to on page 18 of the White Paper, Personal Accounts: a new way to save, was reached; and what account was taken of the estimates made by the Pensions Commission in making that estimate.

James Purnell: Details on how the DWP's estimate of seven million undersavers was derived were published in annex A to the White Paper, Security in retirement: towards a new pension system, in May 2006. The DWP estimates are based on a new data source, the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), which was not available to the Pensions Commission, but the same benchmark replacement rates. ELSA collects information on pension wealth accrued to date, and is the best data source available at present.
	The annex also outlines two major reasons for differences between the two estimates. The DWP estimate is based on household level data, while the Pensions Commission's figures are based on individual level data. (This means that an individual with a low pension themselves but whose spouse has enough for both would be counted by the Pensions Commission as an undersaver but not in the DWP's estimates.) The Pensions Commission looked just at pension wealth, while the DWP estimates include other financial assets, non-owner occupied housing wealth and business assets.
	Estimates of the current level of undersaving for retirement are difficult to construct due to: difficulties identifying appropriate saving targets; uncertainties about which kinds of wealth and asset to take into account; difficulties projecting individuals' future saving and working patterns, particularly around choice of retirement age; and reliance on a range of other uncertain assumptions, including the impact of future macro-economic developments. Consequently such estimates should be treated cautiously.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Departmental Expenditure

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much was spent by her Department on buying, operating and supporting  (a) all commercial software products and  (b) software products produced by Microsoft was in each of the last three years.

Vera Baird: IT services within my Department are outsourced to external suppliers and commercial software products are provided as part of these services. The cost of software products is included within the service charges and cannot be identified separately. The Department does have an Enterprise Agreement Licence with Oracle and the costs over the last three years have been:
	
		
			   Costs over the last three years 
			 2003-04 (£000) 912 
			 2004-05 (£ million 3.65 
			 2005-06 (£ million) 1.76 
		
	
	Prior to 2006-07, Microsoft products were licensed under the outsourced agreements and costs cannot be identified separately. However, the Department has now joined an Enterprise Licence Agreement under the over arching Home Office Microsoft Agreement (HOMA). The annual cost for 2006-07 is £2.691 million.

Elections: Scotland

Jo Swinson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what estimate she has made of the potential liability arising from legal action taken by prisoners not allowed to vote in the Scottish Parliament elections in May 2007.

Bridget Prentice: My Department has not made any estimate of potential liability arising from legal action taken by prisoners who cannot vote in the 2007 Scottish parliamentary elections.
	However, no damages have previously been awarded to any prisoner on the basis that they are unable to vote in UK elections, and the recent judgment of the Scottish courts does not affect the Government's position on this issue, following the decision in October 2005 of the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights in the Hirst case.

Electoral Commission

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many different performance indicators the Electoral Commission will require local authorities to provide each year; and whether these are to be integrated into the Best Value Performance Indicator regime.

Peter Viggers: I have agreed to reply as the question relates to the work of the Electoral Commission.
	The Commission informs me that it is currently developing performance indicators relating to electoral administration and registration. The number of performance indicators will not be finalised until the Commission has undertaken rigorous consultation and piloting. The Commission is in discussion with the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Audit Commission about the integration of performance standards into the Best Value Performance Indicator regime.

Electoral Registration

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs which local authorities  (a) used and  (b) did not use doorstep canvassers to compile the 2007 electoral register.

Bridget Prentice: This information is not held centrally. Section 9 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 placed a new duty on electoral registration officers to take all necessary steps to maintain the electoral register, which includes making on one or more occasions house to house inquiries. Section 67 of the Act requires the Electoral Commission to set and monitor performance standards for electoral services and this will help to provide more information about activity in this area in the future.

Electoral Registration

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will assess the merits of ring fencing funds allocated to local government for registration of voters.

Bridget Prentice: Provision for the registration of voters is provided through the local authority formula grant, which is not ring-fenced. Spending decisions are made by local authorities, taking into account their statutory responsibilities and local needs. Under the Electoral Administration Act, the Electoral Commission has the power to require financial information from authorities that will show the level of funding. This, coupled with the introduction of performance indicators for registration, will increase transparency in this area.
	£19.9 million has been transferred to English local authorities in 2006-07 and £1.2 million will be transferred to the National Assembly for Wales in 2006-07, to cover the new burdens arising from the Electoral Administration Act 2006; notably the new duty on electoral registration officers to maximise the register. The same level of funding will be transferred in 2007-08.

Electoral Registration

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much of the funding allocated to local authorities for registration for elections taking place in 2006-07 has been spent on registration.

Bridget Prentice: Funding for registration activities is included in the local authority formula grant issued by central Government. Once these funds are allocated, the decision on how they are utilised is a matter for the local authorities concerned.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Supermarkets

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the environmental impact of supermarkets and the food industry.

Barry Gardiner: The food industry has a major environmental impact, accounting for 14 per cent. of energy consumption by UK business and 7 million tonnes of carbon a year. I am pleased that the sector is responding positively to the Food Industry Sustainability Strategy, published last year.

Single Payment Scheme

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farmers have received incorrect payments under the 2005 single payment scheme.

David Miliband: Detailed analysis of all the payments made under the 2005 single payment scheme is not yet available. Once the remaining 2005 scheme payments have been completed, a decision will be taken on the level of detail that will be published.

Government's Waste Management Strategy

John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on incineration in the Government's waste management strategy.

Ben Bradshaw: Recovering energy from burning waste is significantly better in environmental terms than landfill. The UK still has high levels of landfill and low levels of recovering energy from waste. We want to see more energy recovery and less landfill.

Climate Change

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Indian Government on tackling climate change.

David Miliband: I visited New Delhi and Mumbai from 21 to 24 January 2007 where I met with Minister Raja, Minister of Environment and Forests. We discussed how to strengthen our bilateral co-operation on climate change and issues relating to future climate change agreements.

Climate Change

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made in international negotiations for action on climate change after 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: In December 2005, at the UN Climate Change Conference in Montreal, negotiations started on new commitments for developed countries after 2012. The momentum initiated in Montreal was continued at Nairobi in November 2006, but 2007 will be an important year and at the December Bali Climate Change Conference we will be pressing for a decision that a post-2012 framework should be agreed by 2009 at the latest.

Low Energy Light Bulbs

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to encourage the use of low energy light bulbs; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: We are taking a number of steps to encourage more use of energy efficient bulbs, including energy labelling, and promoting the most energy efficient bulbs. The Energy Efficiency Commitment and Warm Front Scheme are reducing the price consumers pay.
	Since 2000 the number of low energy light bulbs used in UK homes has more than trebled.

Air Quality

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of air quality since 1997.

Ben Bradshaw: Overall, air quality has improved since 1997 and is now cleaner than at any time since before the industrial revolution.
	However, we are concerned about ozone and particulates which remain a problem in some locations because of transport emissions. We are also concerned about the impact of climate change on air quality.

MSC Napoli

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the environmental impact on Lyme Bay on the beaching of the MSC Napoli.

Ben Bradshaw: Monitoring by scientists at Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, the Environment Agency and Natural England has not shown any adverse effects, although seabirds have been affected by some leaking oil.

Environmental Liability Directive

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on the application of the polluter pays principle in the EU Environmental Liability Directive to the release of genetically modified organisms.

Ian Pearson: My right hon. Friend has regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on a range of issues. The Government are currently consulting on its policy on implementation of the directive, which will strengthen application of the polluter pays principle in respect of a number of forms of environmental damage including potentially from activities related to the release of GMOs.

Environmental Liability Directive

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects of the transposition of the EC Environmental Liability on the capacity of environmental protection to deliver overall benefit.

Ian Pearson: The Environmental Liability Directive is concerned with the prevention and remedying of narrowly-defined environmental damage. A consultation seeking views on options for implementing the Environmental Liability Directive was launched in December 2006. It includes a partial Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) which estimates, on the best information available, the cost benefits associated with the different options.

Environmental Liability Directive

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that the transposition of the EC Environmental Liability Directive conforms with the Government's policy that the polluter should pay.

Ian Pearson: The Environmental Liability Directive is founded on the "polluter pays" principle. The Government wishes to encourage a change in behaviours so as to bring about reductions in the risks of serious environmental damage occurring and more effective application of the "polluter pay" principle where such damage does occur. The options in the consultation document launched in December, including the Government's preference, would reinforce the "polluter pays" principle.

Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the contribution of the transportation of food and food-related products to carbon dioxide emissions in the UK.

Ian Pearson: The transportation of food and food-related products and its contribution to carbon dioxide emissions in the UK was assessed in a research report commissioned by DEFRA and published in July 2005. The figures for carbon dioxide emissions due to food transportation in the UK are updated annually. Both the report and the update in 2006 are on DEFRA's website.

Access Management Grant Scheme

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which access authorities have received funding via the Access Management Grant Scheme since 2004; and how much each received in each year.

Barry Gardiner: Details of payments made under the Access Management Grant Scheme in 2004-05 and 2005-06, as well as commitments made for 2006-07, are as follows:
	
		
			  Payments made 2004-05 
			   £ 
			 Bath and north-east Somerset 2,475.00 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 5,935.63 
			 Bradford 18,397.00 
			 Brighton and Hove 3,997.50 
			 Buckinghamshire 9,262.42 
			 Calderdale 58,543.50 
			 Cornwall 37,501.24 
			 Cumbria 112,872.71 
			 Devon 6,884.00 
			 Dorset 28,938.03 
			 Durham 80,299.74 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 7,408.53 
			 East Sussex 42,270.54 
			 Hampshire 10,566.00 
			 Herefordshire 5,250.00 
			 Kent 20,963.00 
			 Kirklees 3,580.50 
			 Lancashire 93,228.27 
			 Lincolnshire 8,453.85 
			 North Yorkshire 76,514.72 
			 Northumberland 53,888.18 
			 Oldham 2,982.50 
			 Poole 924.31 
			 Rochdale 1,406.00 
			 Somerset 6,532.44 
			 South Gloucestershire 3,900.00 
			 Suffolk 18,750.00 
			 West Sussex 125,708.15 
			 Wiltshire 5,786.25 
			 Total 853,220.01 
		
	
	
		
			  Payments made 2005-06 
			   £ 
			 Barnsley 11,815.30 
			 Bath and north-east Somerset 10,891.00 
			 Bedfordshire 25,824.00 
			 Bolton 14,691.00 
			 Bradford 3,051.00 
			 Brighton and Hove 2,919.56 
			 Buckinghamshire 30,159.66 
			 Calderdale 53,768.25 
			 Cambridgeshire 10,514.63 
			 Cornwall 50,756.00 
			 Cumbria 228,761.94 
			 Derbyshire 2,110.50 
			 Devon 64,082.00 
			 Doncaster 12,845.00 
			 Dorset 351,490.16 
			 Durham 91,025.80 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 34,714.15 
			 Essex 10,173.00 
			 Gloucester 40,215.00 
			 Hampshire 24,726.00 
			 Herefordshire 2,831.00 
			 Hertfordshire 9,660.00 
			 Kent 25,573.50 
			 Kirklees 24,037.05 
			 Lancashire 70,751.75 
			 Leeds 6,108.00 
			 Leicestershire 34,264.80 
			 Lincolnshire 6,786.75 
			 Norfolk 400.00 
			 North Lincolnshire 807.00 
			 North Yorkshire 39,026.25 
			 Northumberland 96,894.63 
			 Nottinghamshire 2,190.00 
			 Oldham 6,836.25 
			 Oxfordshire 34,012.50 
			 Poole 7,110.00 
			 Rochdale 3,451.95 
			 Shropshire 68,044.59 
			 Somerset 21,745.50 
			 South Gloucestershire 12,971.00 
			 Staffordshire 12,331.50 
			 Suffolk 120,769.90 
			 South Downs (east Sussex) 134,721.00 
			 Wakefield 5,248.41 
			 West Berkshire 2,049.75 
			 West Sussex 7,842.05 
			 Wiltshire 11,060.00 
			 Worcestershire 24,792.11 
			 Total 1,866,851.19 
		
	
	
		
			  Grant commitments made 2006-07 
			   £ 
			 Barnsley 1,268.01 
			 Bracknell Forest 758.00 
			 Cornwall 4,712.00 
			 Doncaster 23,557.50 
			 Dorset 159,900.00 
			 Durham 4,604.50 
			 Lancashire 59,880.00 
			 Leicestershire 5,000.00 
			 Norfolk 44,076.33 
			 North Yorkshire 33,221.00 
			 Suffolk 6,000.00 
			 Shropshire 27,415.00 
			 Warwickshire 1,950.00 
			 Total 372,342.34

Access Management Grant Scheme

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what response was made by his Department to the review of the Access Management Grant Scheme submitted to his Department by the Countryside Agency in 2006.

Barry Gardiner: The Department's response congratulated the Countryside Agency on the success of the scheme and acknowledged that the report made a good case for extending the scheme for a further year and for giving it some permanence in the longer term. It explained that future funding for the scheme would need to be provided for from Natural England's overall budget. As such, it must be for Natural England to consider the priority that should be allocated to this work as part of the corporate planning process.

Beef Market

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the differential in market beef prices in the north of England compared to the south.

Barry Gardiner: Defra do not monitor market beef prices split by the north and south of England and we have not made any such assessment.

Bio-diversity Action Plans

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to promote bio-diversity action plans; and how he plans to measure the success of their implementation.

Barry Gardiner: In line with the Labour Party manifesto commitment, DEFRA published revised targets for priority habitats and species under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP) in November 2006. They are available from the UK Biodiversity Action Plan website. The targets are shared among members of the UK Biodiversity Partnership. In England, we have built the new targets into our refreshed biodiversity strategy: 'Working with the grain of nature—taking it forward', also published in November.
	Reporting on the UK BAP is on a three year cycle. The results of the most recent reporting round were published in June 2006. Overall, the proportion of species and habitats showing a positive trend is greater than the proportion for which the decline is continuing or accelerating. However, trends for some species and habitats continue to be a cause for concern.

Bullfighting

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much EU financial support was available to farmers breeding bulls for bullfighting in each of the last five years; how much such support is available to farmers in 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 26 January 2007
	Bulls kept for bullfighting are eligible for common agricultural policy (CAP) subsidy payments under the beef special premium scheme (BSPS).
	The 2003 CAP reform agreement required member states to introduce the decoupled single payment scheme between 2005 and 2007. However, the agreement also provided the option to forgo some of the single payment scheme funds and use them to retain some of the old coupled premium schemes.
	The three countries most likely to make payments to bulls kept for bullfighting (Spain, Portugal and France) did not take up the option to retain the BSPS and it therefore closed in those countries at the end of 2005. Only Denmark, Finland and Sweden have retained the BSPS.
	Payments under the BSPS are made to eligible bulls and steers and are subject to regional ceilings in each member state. Payments are worth €210 per eligible bull and €150 per steer (on which two payments can be made). The regional ceilings applied to Spain, France and Portugal for the five years before the scheme's closure were:
	
		
			   Country 
			   Spain  Portugal  France 
			 2001 713,999 175,075 1,754,732 
			 2002 643,525 160,720 1,734,779 
			 2003 643,525 160,720 1,734,779 
			 2004 713,999 175,075 1,754,732 
			 2005 713,999 175,075 1,754,732 
		
	
	If claims exceeded these ceilings then payments were scaled back to control expenditure. It is not possible, however, to identify which payments within these totals were made to bulls kept for bullfighting.
	There is also an ongoing proposal, raised within discussions of the EU budget, to exclude bulls kept for bullfighting from the BSPS. The UK Government have, and will continue to, support this proposal.
	In view of the above there is unlikely to be any direct support for bulls kept for bullfighting in 2007.

Committees: Ministerial Attendance

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what occasions  (a) he and  (b) departmental Ministers have been requested to appear before committees of (i) devolved institutions and (ii) the European Parliament since 2004; on what topic in each case; how many and what proportion of such requests were accepted; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: Ministers in the Department regularly attend committees of (i) the devolved institutions and (ii) the European Parliament in the course of official business. It is not possible to provide the more detailed information requested without incurring disproportionate cost.

Common Agricultural Policy

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on progress with the implementation of CAP reform in member states.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 26 January 2007
	Member states have now largely completed the implementation of the 2003 and 2004 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reforms. An overview of the position with respect to direct payments is available on the DEFRA website. I shall arrange for copies of it to be placed in the House Libraries.
	It is understood that subsequent reforms of the EU sugar and banana regimes are being implemented across the EU in accordance with the relevant legal requirements.

Countryside and Rights of Way Act

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  whether funding will be provided to access authorities for ongoing costs in relation to Part I of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 in 2008-09;
	(2)  what funding his Department has provided for  (a) the implementation and  (b) ongoing work in relation to Part I of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 to each access authority in each year since 2004.

Barry Gardiner: National Park authorities are access authorities in National Parks. In relation to any other land, the access authority is the local highway authority in whose area the land is situated.
	The Department's funding to National Parks for the preparation and implementation of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 Act (Parts I and V) is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Broads — 25,000 25,000 
			 Dartmoor 100,000 350,000 350,000 
			 Exmoor 100,000 350,000 350,000 
			 Lake District 400,000 450,000 450,000 
			 New Forest — — 150,000 
			 Northumberland 150,000 350,000 350,000 
			 North York moors 300,000 450,000 450,000 
			 Peak District 500,000 450,000 450,000 
			 Yorkshire Dales 300,000 450,000 450,000 
			 Total 1,850,000 2,875,000 3,025,000

Dairy Farming

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the balance of trade was in the dairy sector in the last four years; what steps he is taking to improve it; and what assessment he has made of  (a) the cost of milk production and  (b) the producer price paid to farmers.

Barry Gardiner: Over the period January to November 2006 the value of dairy products imported to the UK was £1.6 million and the value of dairy products exported from the UK was £0.6 million, a balance of -£1.0 million.
	The Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food identifies how the Government will work with the whole of the food chain to secure a sustainable future for English farming and food industries, as viable industries contributing to a better environment and healthy and prosperous communities.
	The most recent published assessment of the cost of milk production was the Defra commissioned study into the economics of milk production in England and Wales in 2002-03 (published by the University of Manchester). Data on farm incomes, including dairy farms, are collected in the Farm Business Survey. The most recent data from the survey covers the year ended February 2006. Defra will be publishing incomes at UK level, by farm type, including dairy farms, on 31 January 2007. This will include forecast incomes for the year ending February 2007.
	Defra collects and publishes milk producer prices on a monthly basis. Average UK prices for 2003 to November 2006 are shown in table 2.
	
		
			  Table 1: Value of UK trade in dairy products 
			  £000 
			   2003  2004  2005  January- November 2006 
			  Imports 
			 Butter 281,102 278,869 309,478 298,615 
			 Buttermilk, Whey and Other Dairy Products 69,040 86,398 116,937 126,411 
			 Cheese 743,898 810,598 853,824 801,283 
			 Condensed Milk 17,770 22,913 33,221 37,312 
			 Cream 16,223 19,908 19,422 17,808 
			 Ice Cream 129,736 142,482 127,658 128,302 
			 Whole and Skimmed Milk 13,641 13,886 16,773 23,836 
			 Whole and Skimmed Milk Powder 44,975 52,170 65,629 58,942 
			 Yoghurt 137,888 139,889 126,673 110,486 
			 Total Dairy Imports 1,454,273 1,567,114 1,669,617 1 ,602,995 
			  
			  Exports 
			 Butter 74,952 59,235 73,216 55,828 
			 Buttermilk, Whey and Other Dairy Products 19,777 46,434 34,330 39,888 
			 Cheese 179,415 201,560 219,476 204,570 
			 Condensed Milk 15,046 10,756 6,470 7,530 
			 Cream 119,558 81,797 72,248 72,616 
			 Ice Cream 47,680 50,464 46,765 48,346 
			 Whole and Skimmed Milk 48,130 58,404 100,503 90,575 
			 Whole and Skimmed Milk Powder 212,035 219,429 115,411 97,929 
			 Yoghurt 14,831 21,359 24,456 23,421 
			 Total Dairy Exports 731,424 749,438 692,874 640,702 
			  
			  Balance of trade 
			 Butter -206,150 -219,634 -236,262 -242,788 
			 Buttermilk, Whey and Other Dairy Products -49,264 -39,964 -82,608 -86,523 
			 Cheese -564,483 -609,038 -634,348 -596,713 
			 Condensed Milk -2,724 -12,158 -26,751 -29,782 
			 Cream 103,335 61 ,889 52,826 54,808 
			 Ice Cream -82,056 -92,018 -80,894 -79,956 
			 Whole and Skimmed Milk 34,489 44,518 83,729 66,738 
			 Whole and Skimmed Milk Powder 167,060 167,259 49,781 38,987 
			 Yoghurt -123,057 -118,531 -102,217 -87,065 
			 Total Dairy Balance of Trade -722,849 -817,676 -976,743 -962,293 
			  Note: 2006 data are subject to amendments  Source: HM Revenue and Customs Data prepared by Trade statistics, Agricultural Statistics and Analysis Division, DEFRA 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: UK Average milk producer prices 
			   Average price (pence per litre) 
			 2003 18.03 
			 2004 18.47 
			 2005 18.47 
			 January to November 2006 17.90

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to reduce carbon emissions from his Department.

Ian Pearson: Working with the Carbon Trust, DEFRA has developed a systematic approach to carbon management and is actively engaged in identifying carbon reduction opportunities through operational improvements, reduced energy costs, staff awareness and monitoring initiatives.
	A system for benchmarking, monitoring and analysing utility usage across the estate has been created which highlights buildings where substantial energy savings can be made. Focusing on these sites has helped identify key projects which will return major savings on energy consumption and carbon emissions.
	Among other smaller projects, three major 'voltage optimisation' projects which could save the department a potential 900 tonnes of carbon per year (8 per cent. of DEFRA's total annual carbon emissions) are currently being assessed with a view to implement before the end of the financial year. The success of these pilot projects will influence the roll out of further initiatives in the new financial year.

Departmental Expenditure

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of expenditure by his Department in each Government Office region in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Barry Gardiner: Chapter 7 of the annual Treasury publication "Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses" details expenditure on services in the regions and countries of the United Kingdom.
	Identifiable spending in each region of England by Government Department for 2004-05 (latest available data) is contained within table 7.19 of the 2006 edition of PESA.
	The 2006 edition of PESA is available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/economic_data_and_tools/finance_spending_statistics/pes_publications/pespub_pesa06.cfm

Departmental Hospitality

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his Department's expenditure was on hospitality and entertainment in 2005-06; and what his predecessor Department's expenditure was on hospitality and entertainment in 1996-97.

Barry Gardiner: In the 2005-06 fiscal year, the Department spent £626,000 on hospitality and entertainment. There are no figures provided for DEFRA's predecessor Departments in 1996-97 as this information could be provided only by incurring disproportionate cost. The Prime Minister's answer to the right hon. Member for Rotherham (Mr. MacShane) of 9 February 1998,  Official Report, column 17W, provides the global figure for Government expenditure on ministerial entertaining and hospitality for official purposes in 1996-97.
	All expenditure of official entertainment is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in Government Accounting.

Departmental Staff

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been  (a) spent on and  (b) allocated to bonuses for staff in his Department in financial years (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2005-06 and (iii) 2004-05; what the highest and lowest bonus paid in each year was; and what percentage of the total sum in each year was related to staff who have responsibility for departmental matters (A) in the North West, (B) in the Eddisbury constituency and (C) for single farm payments.

Barry Gardiner: Payment of non-consolidated performance bonuses reflects the principle across the civil service of rewarding performance increasingly through one-off payments rather than increases to basic salary.
	Core-DEFRA (covering State Veterinary Service, Pesticides Safety Directorate, Veterinary Medicines Directorate, Marine Fisheries Agency and Government Decontamination Service) operates two different performance bonus systems: in-year high performance bonuses, paid to individuals or teams below the Senior Civil Service (SCS) in recognition of one-off achievement during the year; and annual high performance bonuses, paid to both SCS and non-SCS staff for high performance sustained throughout the whole year.
	For the period November 2004 to March 2005, in year-performance bonuses totalling £179,879 were awarded to staff. Information on annual performance and in-year performance bonuses before this date is available only at disproportionate cost as a result of system changes.
	For the periods April 2005 to March 2006 and April 2006 to date, information on annual and in-year performance bonuses awarded was as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Period  Total bonuses paid  Highest bonus  Lowest bonus 
			 April 2005 to March 2006 3,364,032 34,040 50 
			 April to November 2006 2,933,611 15,000 75 
		
	
	A little over 1 per cent. of paybill is allocated annually for performance related bonuses.
	Information is not held centrally on the geographical areas of responsibility of staff awarded bonuses. Staff with responsibility for single farm payments work in RPA who operate separate pay and bonus arrangements.

Departmental Websites

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which websites are being closed by his Department as a result of the recent departmental review as referred to by the Chief Information Officer's Transformational Government Annual Report 2006; how much use was made by visitors of each website being closed; and how much was spent on maintaining each in the last two years.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 19 January 2007
	Defra fully supports the Transformational Government strategy and is taking a leading role in working with the Chief Information Officer's Delivery Transformation Group to deliver website rationalisation. Defra is taking a pragmatic approach to this complex process and has begun to plan its delivery in a number of phases. The initial phase will review content and services of almost 50 websites for convergence on Directgov and Business Link, as recommended in the Transformational Government implementation plan. The focus will be on providing online services that meet the needs of our customers and no sites will be closed precipitously.
	Some of the information requested is not readily available but I will write with a list of websites to be reviewed during the first phase, and available visitor and cost data as soon as possible.

Energy Efficiency

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he expects the consultation on the third phase of the Energy Efficiency Commitment 2008-11 in spring 2007 to include a section on smart metering with two way communications systems.

Ian Pearson: The statutory consultation on the third phase of the Energy Efficiency Commitment 2008-11 (EEC3) will cover a range of measures that energy suppliers may promote in order to achieve carbon savings in the household sector.
	The Government are currently consulting on energy billing and metering to take forward the measures in last year's Energy Review and the transposition of the European Community (EC) Directive on Energy End Use Efficiency and Energy Services. This will take account of possible developments under EEC3.

Engagements

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what dates Ministers in his Department and its predecessors made official visits to the London boroughs of  (a) Tower Hamlets,  (b) Newham and  (c) Waltham Forest in each year since 1997.

Barry Gardiner: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Environment Agency

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many consultants were employed by the Environment Agency in each of the last five years.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 25 January 2007
	The Environment Agency does not record the number of individual consultants it uses.

EU Sugar Regime

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what factors were taken into consideration when appointing the agency to pay sugar beet compensation following reform of the EU sugar regime; whether British Sugar was considered as a candidate; whether consideration was given to making a request to the European Commission that British Sugar become a registered European payment agency for this purpose; and whether he made an estimate of the effect on costs of administration of appointing British Sugar to make sugar beet compensation payments to farmers.

Barry Gardiner: All elements of the additional income support made available to farmers must be incorporated into the Single Payment Scheme (SPS) and, specifically, the model of the scheme that member states have already adopted. This falls under the terms of the November 2005 agreement on reform of the EU sugar regime.
	In England, the SPS is administered by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA), which is the accredited Paying Agency which makes Common Agricultural Policy payments to English farmers. Given the impracticality of two paying agencies administering different, but closely inter-related, aspects of the same scheme for the same farmers, the RPA was the natural choice to administer the additional income support.
	Even if this had not been the case, it is highly unlikely that British Sugar would have been considered as a candidate. The EU has regulatory requirements that member states must restrict paying agency numbers to the minimum necessary and that such agencies must be public rather than private bodies.

Flood Risk: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will commission further studies to ascertain the risk of flooding in areas put forward by English Partnerships as possible areas of growth surrounding Milton Keynes.

Ian Pearson: The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) leads on land use planning policy. DEFRA funds the Environment Agency (EA) to advise planning authorities on development proposals to ensure flood risk is properly taken into account.
	The new Planning Policy Statement on Development and Flood Risk, PPS25, was published by DCLG in December 2006. This clearly sets out how local planning authorities should prevent and manage flood risk to and from new developments to ensure that, where new development is necessary in flood risk areas, it is appropriate and safe, does not increase flood risk elsewhere ;and where possible, reduces flood risk overall.
	It is the responsibility of the planning authority to ensure that flood risk is taken properly into account when planning new development. In the case of Milton Keynes, I understand the planning authority will undertake a Strategic Flood Risk Assessment in consultation with the EA. At the planning application stage, PPS25 requires appropriate site specific Flood Risk Assessments to be provided by developers to describe how flood risk will be managed in detail. I understand the EA is confident that a well-established strategic approach is being applied to future development in Milton Keynes, which is not considered to be a significant flood risk area.

Hosepipe Bans

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if his Department will assess the merits of amending the legislative framework on hosepipe bans to allow for concessions for the elderly, people with disabilities and those with newly landscaped gardens.

Ian Pearson: My Department is reviewing the scope of the current legislative framework relating to hosepipe bans, and the issue of concessions is being considered as part of this. We will undertake a public consultation on the proposals before making any changes to the legislation.

Levy Bands

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proposals he has to reform the levy bands.

Barry Gardiner: I assume the hon. Member's question refers to the reform of the statutory agricultural and horticultural levy boards.
	A project is now under way to replace the five existing levy boards with a single levy body and a number of wholly-owned subsidiary sectoral companies covering horticulture, potatoes, cereals, milk, pigs, beef and lamb. The new structure will be established by statutory instrument made under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006. The new levy body will come into being on 1 April 2008.
	A shadow board is being appointed to lead the process of establishing the new levy body. These appointments are being made in accordance with the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA). The shadow board will review the current requirements of each sector, take a view on what activities could meet those needs, and consider what implications that might have for levy rates in the different sectors (called the 'Fresh Start' exercise).
	Restructuring of the levy boards will improve governance and transparency, with decisions on sector strategies and levy expenditure taken close to levy payers. The new structure will provide a more efficient and effective service and enhance industry ownership of levy arrangements.
	Consultation on secondary legislation to implement the reforms will take place in spring 2007.

Live Animal Exports

Gwyn Prosser: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many live  (a) calves,  (b) adult cattle,  (c) sheep and  (d) pigs were exported for (i) slaughter, (ii) fattening and (iii) breeding in 2006, broken down by country of destination.

Barry Gardiner: The following table gives the number of live animals recorded as exported from the UK in 2006 from January to November. December figures are not currently available.
	Please note these figures are obtained using VAT records and will exclude some EU trade for businesses which are below the VAT threshold. As a result, actual trade levels may be higher than those given.
	
		
			  Short description  Description  EU/Non-EU  Country  Number of head 
			 Live swine other than pure bred breeding animals Live dom swine o/t pure bred breeding animals wgt 50 kg or more EU Irish Republic 58,117 
			  Live swine o/t dom spp whg 50 kg or more EU Irish Republic 3,667 
			  
			 Live swine pure bred breeding animals Live swine pure bred breeding animals Non-EU Russia 27,174 
			Ukraine 2,017 
			China 283 
			Taiwan 173 
			Vietnam 231 
			Japan 59 
			Thailand 111 
			South Korea 43 
			   EU Belgium 3,040 
			Netherlands 1,683 
			Greece 1,137 
			Germany 894 
			Spain 661 
			Italy 454 
			Hungary 425 
			Denmark 306 
			Slovenia 132 
			  
			 Other than pure bred breeding animals bovine Bovines of a wgt exc 80 kg but n/e 160 kg, not for slaughter EU Netherlands 14,165 
			  Of a weight not exceeding 80 kg EU Belgium 340 
			Netherlands 167 
			  Live bovine animals o/t dom spp Non-EU Romania 39 
			   EU Irish Republic 78 
			  
			 Sheep live Lambs (up to a year old) EU France 6,992 
			  Sheep pure bred breeding animals Non-EU Romania 110 
			  Sheep o/t pure-bred breeding animals and lambs up to a year old EU Irish Republic 7 
			 Pure bred breeding animals bovine Heifers (female bovines that have never calved) Non-EU Switzerland 21 
			  Pure-bred breeding bovines o/t heifers and cows Non-EU Switzerland 3 
			  Notes; 1. 2006 data are subject to amendments 2. EU data based on EU 25  Source: HM Revenue and Customs Data prepared by Trade statistics, Agricultural Statistics and Analysis Division, DEFRA

Mr. Johnston McNeil

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was paid to the former Chief Executive of the Rural Payments Agency Mr. Johnston McNeil whilst he was on sick leave during 2006.

Barry Gardiner: The departmental sick pay arrangements are designed to ensure that when staff are unwell they do not need to worry about the immediate financial impact of their illness. The former Chief Executive of the Rural Payments Agency received his normal salary for any periods of sick leave taken during 2006. The former Chief Executive was signed off for a two-week period during November 2006.

Nitrate Vulnerable Zones

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to designate England as a nitrate vulnerable zone.

Ian Pearson: The Nitrates Directive requires member states to designate as nitrate vulnerable zones (NVZs) any land draining to waters identified as polluted, or likely to be polluted, by nitrates from agricultural sources. These designations must be reviewed at least every four years. Nearly 55 per cent. of land in England is currently designated as NVZs.
	The directive further requires an action programme to be established and implemented within the designated NVZs to protect the identified waters. The directive offers member states the option of applying action programme measures across the whole of its national territory. The four-yearly review of designations is not required where this option is followed. The Government have opted to take a discrete area approach to implementing the directive.
	A review of NVZ designations, as required by the directive, is nearing completion. Depending on the outcome, consideration may be given to adopting a whole territory approach and to applying action programme measures throughout England. This issue would be subject to a full public consultation.

Olympics

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with British Waterways about the lock and water-control structure on the Bow Back Rivers required to allow water freight access to the Olympic Park site; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  when British Waterways expects to announce its decision on the funding of the lock and water-control structure on the Bow Back Rivers required to allow water freight access to the Olympic Park site;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the impact on  (a) the environment and  (b) congestion of allowing water freight access to the Olympic Park site through the construction of the new lock and water-control structure on the Bow Back Rivers;
	(4)  what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the funding for the lock and water-control structure on the Bow Back Rivers required to allow water freight access to the Olympic Park site;
	(5)  what assessment he has made of the effect of the delay in the announcement by British Waterways of its decision on the funding of the lock and water-control structure on the Bow Back Rivers required to allow water freight access to the Olympic Park site.

Barry Gardiner: I have discussed the proposal for the new lock and water-control structure on the Bow Back Rivers with British Waterways on a number of occasions and welcome it. When complete, the lock and water control structure will enable waterborne freight to access the site both during construction and the legacy phase. It is also expected to provide other recreational, environmental and amenity benefits. British Waterways is currently finalising the funding package and an announcement will be made shortly.
	No specific discussions have taken place between DEFRA Ministers and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport regarding funding the lock and water-control structure.

Open Source Software

David Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of his Department's computer systems use open source software; what percentage of the systems planned to be installed use such software; and whether he plans to increase the use of open source software in his Department.

Barry Gardiner: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) percentage of implemented computer systems in DEFRA that use open source software is small, less than 5 per cent.;
	(b) Open Source software is being used in the development of several new applications, for example in the delivery of spatial information services and for application development tools, and more significantly as software components embedded in numerous vendor supplied software products, where vendors have adopted and developed open source. Use of Open Source software is fully compliant with the requirements of the OGC guidance on OSS, and any software chosen is fully covered by OSS/GPL;
	(c) DEFRA has recently outsourced its IT operations. There are no targets imposed on the supplier to implement open source software, a level playing field will apply in procurement of software solutions. The IT supplier is bound to work within eGlF standards and many of the planned IT systems will include a significant proportion of open source code.

Pollution Control

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he next plans to meet organisations involved in carbon offset activities to discuss the effectiveness and reliability of their products and services.

Ian Pearson: On 18 January Defra launched a consultation on establishing a code of best practice for carbon offsetting. The consultation runs until 13 April and Defra is planning to hold a seminar for relevant stakeholders during this period.

Privacy Impact Assessments

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether a privacy impact assessment has  (a) been produced and  (b) is planned in relation to plans to introduce (i) variable waste charging for domestic rubbish and (ii) microchips in wheelie bins.

Ben Bradshaw: England's Waste Strategy is currently being reviewed. In this context, Defra is considering the full range of tools that could encourage producers and consumers to reduce waste and increase recycling. The use of financial incentives, such as recycling rebates, is only one of a number of options being considered.
	Microchips are identification tags which allow a bin to be matched to a particular property—they do not record information on what is put into the bin. There are other methods of providing people with positive incentives to recycle.
	The Conservative-run Local Government Association has requested a change in the law to allow local authorities to introduce such positive incentives.

Procurement Projects

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the 20 largest procurement projects initiated by his Department since May 1997 have been; what the  (a) original budget,  (b) cost to date and  (c) consultancy fees have been; and what the final cost was of each project which has been completed.

Barry Gardiner: The Department came into being in June 2001. From information held centrally, the 20 largest procurement projects initiated by the Department are as follows:
	
		
			   Project title  Awarded in financial year April to March  Budget (£ million) 
			 1 Enabling IT. 2004- 05 850 
			 2 Eradicating Fuel Poverty—Warm Front Programme 2005- 06 338.6 
			 3 Envlrowise Consultancy and Marketing 2005- 06 50 
			 4 Scrapie Testing and Equipment (Genotyping) 2001- 02 42 
			 5 England Catchment Sensitive Farming 2006- 07 35 
			 6 ERDP IT 2001- 02 35 
			 7 Nobel House Redevelopment 2003- 04 25 
			 8 Seed Certification—Provision of Services in Respect of UK Plant Breeders 2005- 06 24.3 
			 9 Temporary Staff 2006- 07 20 
			 10 Facilities Management—London 2003- 04 20 
			 11 Facilities Management—North East and Anglia 2001- 02 18 
			 12 Travel 2005- 06 16 
			 13 Facilities Management—North West 2002- 03 14 
			 14 Facilities Management—South West 2002- 03 14 
			 15 Facilities Management—South East and Reading 2001- 02 13 
			 16 North East Region Premises Solution 2006- 07 12.5 
			 17 Learning and Development Framework 2005- 06 10 
			 18 Waste Implementation Programme—Framework 2006- 07 10 
			 19 Veterinary Surveillance 2002- 03 9.7 
			 20 Lappel Bank Fagbury flats compensation (Wallasea) 2004-06(1) 8.63 
			 (1) Various activities, including land purchase and earth works. 
		
	
	The core-Department does not hold a central list of what the original budget, cost to date and any consultancy fees have been, nor does it hold centrally what the final cost has been in each case where the projects have been completed. The information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Of the procurement projects listed, all are current, except procurement project 8 which is completed.
	The budget figures quoted are the overall values of the programmes and projects in which there has been a procurement element; and are not necessarily the actual values of contracts or framework agreements associated with the programmes or projects. Costs of programmes and projects are subject to change arising from amended programme and project scope, budgetary re-allocation, and re-consideration of departmental objectives.

Public Sector Food Procurement

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to encourage public sector bodies to procure their food requirements from  (a) sustainable sources and  (b) local producers.

Barry Gardiner: Since its launch in 2003, the Government's Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative (PSFPI) has highlighted practical ways in which the public sector's £2 billion annual food budget can help deliver a world-class sustainable farming and food sector that contributes to a better environment and healthier and prosperous communities. This aim of the PSFPI is to encourage public sector buyers to work with farmers, growers, and suppliers to ensure more sustainable food is consumed in hospitals, schools, prisons and canteens. Comprehensive information about the PSFPI can be found on DEFRA's website at
	www.defra.gov.uk/farm/policy/sustain/procurement/awareness.htm
	and from DEFRA's Food Procurement Unit (Tel: 0207 270 8409). This includes details of the public sector Catering Services and Food Procurement Toolkit—which gives practical help in tendering for public sector buyers.
	A copy of the Toolkit will be placed in the House Library.

Recycling

Anne Moffat: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to raise the targets on recycling for local authorities.

Ben Bradshaw: The Waste Strategy Review consultation document, published in February 2006, proposed higher targets for the recycling and composting of household waste to reach 40 per cent. by 2010, 45 per cent. by 2015 and 50 per cent. by 2020.
	We intend to publish the revised Waste Strategy for England in the spring.

Single Farm Payments

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects further single farm payments to be made. [R]

Barry Gardiner: A small number of full 2006 single payment scheme payments have already been made to a number of eligible claimants as part of a live IT test with the first payments reaching farmers on 15 January.
	The proving process has been successful and so full payments will continue to be made where claims are fully validated. In line with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's statement of 7 November 2006 a partial payment of at least 50 per cent. of the claim value will be made from mid February to all claimants where it has not been possible to make a full payment and the claim value is at least €1,000.

Single Farm Payments

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many valid claims for 2005 Single Farm Payment remain to be paid in full; and when he expects these to be paid.

Barry Gardiner: There are 194 Single Payment Scheme claims in respect of 2005 that have not received any payment to date. 70 of these cases are pending the resolution of issues such as probate. The remainder of these 2005 claims are potentially eligible to be paid and are currently being processed.
	In addition there are 221 claims where a top up payment might be necessary once a detailed review of each case has undertaken.
	Given the individual circumstances applying to such cases it is not possible to put a timeframe on when they will all be completed.

Single Farm Payments

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many 2005 single farm payments have not been fully paid; how much is due to the applicant awaiting the highest full payments; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 26 January 2007
	The Rural Payments Agency has estimated there are 194 Single Payment Scheme claims in respect of 2005 that have not received any payments to date.
	70 of these cases are pending the resolution of issues such as probate. The remainder of these 2005 claims are potentially eligible to be paid and are currently being processed.
	In addition there are 221 claims that have received a partial payment and are potentially due a final balance 'top up' payment.
	These claims are being paid as soon as possible, but it is not possible to put a time frame on when they will all be completed.
	The Rural Payment Agency is also checking approximately 20,000 2005 cases which include those involving queries raised by farmers to establish whether the correct payment has been made.

Single Farm Payments

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on progress on the Government's discussions with the European Union regarding disallowance of European Union expenditure as a result of the late payments made under the Single Payment Scheme in England.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 26 January 2007
	The Government has explained to the European Commission why it believes late payment penalties in respect of the 2005 Single Payment Scheme would be inappropriate and, should the Commission make any relevant proposals in due course, will continue to defend the UK's interests.

Soil Association

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what grant his Department has recently given to the Soil Association; and for what purpose.

Barry Gardiner: DEFRA has made the following recent grant payments to the Soil Association and its associated certification companies, Soil Association Certification Limited and ASCISCO.
	 (a) Payments made by DEFRA to Soil Association Certification Limited and ASCISCO as part of the partnership agreement with organic certification bodies in connection with the implementation of the EU Organic inspection regime:
	2006-07—£276,456.84
	 (b) Grant payments to the Soil Association under the Rural Enterprise Scheme (RES) and Vocational Training Scheme (VTS)
	
		
			  Scheme  Project start date ( 1) Total grant awarded to project (£)  Project description 
			 Rural Enterprise Scheme 1 August 2006 11,200 Feasibility study for a regional organic network in Yorkshire 
			 Rural Enterprise Scheme 11 August 2006 173,736 Supplementary funding for the organic element of the North West Fantastic Food Partnership 
			 Vocational Training Scheme 24 August 2006 32,435.50 Organic training for converting and existing producers 
			 Rural Enterprise Scheme 1 October 2006 100,409.10 Business and marketing support for the organic food and farming sector 
			 (1)This figure is the amount awarded for the whole project period, including years beyond 2006.

Stewardship

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for how many new entrants to the  (a) entry and  (b) higher level stewardship schemes there is funding available in 2007.

Barry Gardiner: The budget for Environmental Stewardship will be allocated from the new Rural Development Programme covering the period 2007 to 2013, which is currently under consultation in the European Parliament.
	The Government are committed to keeping Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) open to all eligible farmers and, provided the current level of interest continues, we should achieve our target of 60 per cent. of eligible land in England by the end of this year. The Government is equally committed to Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) and Natural England is working hard to process valid applications from both strands of Environmental Stewardship into agreements.

Tobacco

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much EU financial support was available for growing tobacco in each of the last five years; how much such financial support was available in 2007; which countries have received this support; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 26 January 2007
	The information requested is set out as follows:
	
		
			  Cost of premia paid under the EU tobacco regime 
			   € million 
			 2002 952 
			 2003 956 
			 2004 929 
			 2005 916 
			 2006 920 
			 2007 (provisional) 317 
		
	
	The main beneficiaries of the European Union (EU) subsidy have been Greece and Italy. Other producing member states include Poland, France, Spain, Germany and Portugal.
	The UK does not produce tobacco and has always been critical of the support regime because of the cost and health implications. We believe that subsidies are at odds with the Community-sponsored Europe Against Cancer programme.
	The successful reform of the EU tobacco regime in 2004 introduced "decoupling", which means that the direct link between production and support is broken. This applies progressively from 2006 until 2010 when direct support for tobacco production will cease altogether.

Tree Planting

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Government plan to increase the incentives for new plantations of trees; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 30 January 2007
	The English Woodland Grant Scheme (EWGS) provides grants to establish new multi-purpose woodlands providing public benefits. The incentives offered through EWGS over the next few years will be influenced by the outcome of the refreshed England Forestry Strategy, the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 and the budget that is agreed for the Rural Development Programme for England 2007-13.

Water Framework Directive

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on how catchment areas will work under the new waste framework directive.

Ian Pearson: I assume the hon. Member's question refers to catchments areas under the Water Framework Directive, rather than the waste framework directive.
	The Water Framework Directive requires us to introduce a new water quality planning system, using geographical units called river basin districts, which are made up of whole numbers of catchments or "river basins".
	Article 3 of the Water Framework Directive requires that individual river basins be identified and assigned to river basin districts. We carried this out in our transposition regulations. The catchments in England and Wales have been grouped to form six river basin districts and an additional four cross border districts, including two with Scotland and two with Wales.

Water: Shortages

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effect of hosepipe bans on the horticulture and gardening industry;
	(2)  if he will exempt those using efficient water saving irrigation methods from hosepipe bans.

Ian Pearson: Hosepipe bans are imposed by water companies under powers set out in the Water Industry Act 1991. While the Department has not made any specific assessment of the impact of such bans on the horticultural and gardening industry, officials have met with representatives of the Horticultural Trades Association to discuss the association's views on the subject. Our forthcoming public consultation on the review of the hosepipe ban powers in England and Wales will address the issue of concessions.

Wood Fibre

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking with the wood fibre and supply industry to identify sources of wood fibre other than coniferous roundwood and sawmill co-products;
	(2)  what support the Department is offering to the wood fibre and supply industry to develop new and sustainable wood supply chains.

Barry Gardiner: The 2004 UK Woodfuel Resource Study looked at the potential supply from sources including coniferous and broadleaved woodland, sawmill co-products, arboricultural arisings and short rotation coppice. In England it estimated that there was a potential resource of over 0.5 million tonnes of arboricultural arisings. In addition it is estimated that there is an annual increment of 4 million tonnes of wood, particularly from under-managed broadleaved woodland, that is not currently harvested.
	The England Woodfuel Strategy being prepared by the Forestry Commission will make a number of recommendations aimed at increasing the demand for this wood fibre, which is in turn expected to help the development of supply chains, with potential benefits to all wood-using industries.
	Through the Forestry Commission we work with the timber industry and timber-using businesses to raise awareness of the role and versatility of wood which is a sustainable resource. For example, supporting the Wood for Good campaign. Generating increased demand is likely to benefit the supply chain.

Wood Fibre

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the potential demand for wood fibre balance in the UK in each of the next two years.

Barry Gardiner: I have not made any estimate of demand. Based on our forecasts of production and knowledge extrapolated from past information on consumption we believe that it is unlikely there will be a significant change in demand in the short term. With less than 20 per cent. of UK wood and wood product consumption coming from trees grown in the UK, any changes in demand may have more impact on imports than on UK production.

Woodlands

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much coniferous woodland has been planted in the UK during the last 10 years.

Barry Gardiner: The total areas of conifer planting (new planting and restocking) over the last 10 years for each country and the UK total are given in the following tables.
	
		
			  England 
			  Hectares—thousand 
			  Year ended 31 March  New planting  Restocking  Total 
			 1997 0.5 2.7 3.2 
			 1998 0.6 2.9 3.5 
			 1999 0.7 2.7 3.5 
			 2000 0.7 2.5 3.2 
			 2001 0.7 2.7 3.4 
			 2002 0.7 2.6 3.2 
			 2003 0.5 2.4 3.0 
			 2004 0.2 2.3 2.5 
			 2005 0.2 1.9 2.1 
			 2006 0.1 2.1 2.2 
		
	
	
		
			  Scotland 
			  Hectares—thousand 
			  Year ended 31 March  New planting  Restocking  Total 
			 1997 6.7 5.8 12.5 
			 1998 5.9 5.3 11.3 
			 1999 5.3 5.3 10.6 
			 2000 5.2 6.5 11.7 
			 2001 3.9 6.6 10.6 
			 2002 3.0 6.6 9.6 
			 2003 3.0 7.4 10.3 
			 2004 2.6 7.6 10.2 
			 2005 1.9 8.0 9.9 
			 2006 1.0 7.1 8.1 
		
	
	
		
			  Wales 
			  Hectares—thousand 
			  Year ended 31 March  New planting  Restocking  Total 
			 1997 0.1 2.6 2.6 
			 1998 0.1 2.3 2.5 
			 1999 0.1 2.7 2.9 
			 2000 0.2 2.4 2.6 
			 2001 0.1 1.9 2.0 
			 2002 0.0 1.6 1.6 
			 2003 0.0 1.6 1.6 
			 2004 0.0 1.4 1.4 
			 2005 0.0 1.2 1.2 
			 2006 0.0 1.6 1.6 
		
	
	
		
			  Northern Ireland 
			  Hectares—thousand 
			  Year ended 31 March  New planting  Restocking  Total 
			 1997 0.5 0.5 1.0 
			 1998 0.4 0.6 1.0 
			 1999 0.4 0.5 0.9 
			 2000 0.4 0.5 0.9 
			 2001 0.4 1.0 1.4 
			 2002 0.2 0.7 0.9 
			 2003 0.5 0.6 1.1 
			 2004 0.1 0.9 1.0 
			 2005 0.0 0.9 0.9 
			 2006 0.0 0.8 0.8 
		
	
	
		
			  United Kingdom 
			  Hectares—thousand 
			  Year ended 31 March  New planting  Restocking  Total 
			 1997 7.7 11.6 19.3 
			 1998 7.0 11.2 18.2 
			 1999 6.6 11.3 17.9 
			 2000 6.5 11.9 18.4 
			 2001 5.1 12.2 17.4 
			 2002 3.9 11.4 15.3 
			 2003 4.0 12.0 16.0 
			 2004 2.9 12.1 15.1 
			 2005 2.1 12.0 14.1 
			 2006 1.1 11.6 12.7 
			  Note: The figures in the tables are individually rounded, so the constituent items may not sum to the total given.

Woodlands

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Government plan to increase the area of coniferous woodland planted.

Barry Gardiner: The English Woodland Grant Scheme (EWGS) provides grants to establish new multi-purpose woodlands providing public benefits, including biodiversity and social benefits. The UK Forestry Standard, which underpins the EWGS, requires the choice of species to be suited to the site conditions taking into account silvicultural and environmental needs as well as management objectives.
	In recent years around 5 to 10 per cent. of the total new woodland area planted has been with conifers. The extent and type of planting over the next five to 10 years will be influenced by the outcome of the refreshed England Forestry Strategy, the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 and the budget that is agreed for the Rural Development Programme for England 2007-13.

PRIME MINISTER

Annual Reports

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2007,  Official Report, column 787W, on annual reports, what the reasons are for the delays in publication of the reports.

Tony Blair: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave the hon. Member for North-East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald) on 15 January 2007,  Official Report, column 787W.

Departmental Functions

Oliver Heald: To ask the Prime Minister what the  (a) remit and  (b) functions are of the (i) Strategic Communications Unit and (ii) Downing Street Press Office.

Tony Blair: Details of the remit and functions of the Strategic Communications Unit and Downing Street Press Office can be found in the answers I gave to the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 26 May 1999,  Official Report, columns 192-3W and the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 25 March 2003,  Official Report, columns 125-7W.

Entertainment Budget

Oliver Heald: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 11 January 2007,  Official Report, column 650W, on entertainment budget, whether the figures referred to on the costs of official entertainment at 10 Downing street and Chequers in 2005-06 provided to the hon. Members for South Holland and The Deepings (Mr. Hayes) and for Southend, West (Mr. Amess) in answers of 11 October 2005,  Official Report, column 788W, were collected using the same methodology as those in the answer of 21 July 2005,  Official Report, House of Lords, column WA262.

Tony Blair: Yes.

Intelligence and Security Committee

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Prime Minister if he will bring forward proposals to make the Intelligence and Security Committee a Committee of the House.

Tony Blair: I have no current plans to do so.

Wilson Doctrine

Oliver Heald: To ask the Prime Minister whether the Wilson Doctrine applies to hon. Members use of  (a) Blackberry-devices,  (b) mobile phone text messaging,  (c) Voice over Internet Protocol systems,  (d) internet browsers and  (e) email.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 21 January 2002,  Official Report, column 589W.

Wilson Doctrine

Oliver Heald: To ask the Prime Minister whether the Wilson Doctrine applies to members of the  (a) Scottish Parliament,  (b) National Assembly for Wales and  (c) Northern Ireland Assembly.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 8 February 2006,  Official Report, column 1186W, and to my written ministerial statement on 30 March 2006,  Official Report, columns 95-96WS.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Admiralty House

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how long the ministerial flat in Admiralty House which is not occupied by the Deputy Prime Minister or the Lord Chancellor has remained empty.

Hilary Armstrong: I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave him on 6 November 2006,  Official Report, column 860W.

Departmental Costs

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2006,  Official Report, column 346W, on departmental costs, what the reasons are for the change in expenditure between 2004-05 and 2005-06.

Hilary Armstrong: The main reasons for the change in expenditure between 2004-05 and 2005-06 was the inclusion in 2004-05 of the Cabinet Office's £2 million contribution to the cross-Government "Go in, Stay in, Tune in" campaign and costs associated with the DirectGov advertising campaign.

Ministerial Residences

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 19 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1853W, on ministerial residences, how much public expenditure has so far been incurred in refurbishing the flat above No. 10 Downing street.

Hilary Armstrong: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 30 November 2006,  Official Report, column 890W.

Social Enterprise

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the name and location is of each social enterprise ambassador in England.

Edward Miliband: The Government published the social enterprise action plan on 16 November 2006. It states that the Office of the Third Sector will work with the social enterprise sector to develop a programme which will appoint 20 social enterprise ambassadors to raise awareness of social enterprise and work with Government on the development of policy.
	The Office of the Third Sector is currently developing the programme in partnership with the social enterprise sector. We are aiming to announce the new ambassadors in the summer to ensure that they are ready to participate fully in the run-up to the next Social Enterprise Day, which will be on 15 November 2007 as part of Enterprise Week.
	Once selected, a copy of the list of the names of the social enterprise ambassadors will be placed in the Library for the reference of Members.

Social Enterprise

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much social enterprises were worth to the UK economy in the last period for which figures are available, broken down by region.

Edward Miliband: The Government provided the latest information on the value of the social enterprise sector to the economy in the Social Enterprise Action Plan, published on 16 November 2006.
	The DTI's latest Annual Small Business Survey (2005) estimated that there are 55,000 social enterprises in the UK, generating a combined turnover of about £27 billion turnover and contributing £8.4 billion to GDP.
	Due to the size of the social enterprise sample it is not possible to break this figure down further by region.

Social Enterprise

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps she has taken to highlight and spread best practice in the promotion of social enterprises.

Edward Miliband: The Government set out their approach to supporting the social enterprise sector in the Social Enterprise Action Plan—Scaling New Heights—published on 16 November 2006. The Action Plan aims to help create the conditions to enable the sector to succeed by helping more people to understand social enterprise, raising awareness among potential investors and customers; ensuring that social enterprises have access to business support and finance; and including social enterprises in public service delivery.
	Government are working with the sector to highlight best practice and to encourage new people to start and join social enterprises. The most important elements of this work are:
	A new strategic funding programme announced in the Action Plan, worth £2.4 million over three years, which will among other things enable nationally representative social enterprise bodies to help spread best practice;
	Using the developing evidence base to raise awareness and understanding of social enterprise among a range of audiences, working in partnership with the sector;
	An investment of almost £6 million over four years to improve the capacity of the Business Link service to broker business support for social enterprises;
	Support for the annual Enterprising Solutions Awards, which celebrate and highlight the achievements of the best social enterprises;
	Sponsorship of sector conferences such as the recent Voice 07 national social enterprise conference, which provide opportunities for sharing best practice;
	A campaign to attract young people to start or join social enterprise, Make Your Mark: Change Lives, which uses inspirational examples of success in the sector. A recent example of this is the Trailblazers magazine and DVD, produced in collaboration with Enterprise Insight and the Social Enterprise Coalition.

Social Enterprise

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what Government assistance is available to establish social enterprises.

Edward Miliband: Government help available to establish social enterprise is described in the Social Enterprise Action plan—Scaling new heights—published on 16 November 2006. In particular, the Government aims to foster a culture of social enterprise and ensure that the right information, advice and finance are available to those running social enterprises.
	To foster a culture of social enterprise, the Government will work with the sector to raise the level of awareness of social enterprise and to show that financial success and social and environmental benefits can be achieved together. For example the Office of the Third Sector will work with the sector to develop a programme to appoint 20 social enterprise ambassadors to raise awareness of social enterprise, and work with Government on the development of policy. In addition Government are working with Enterprise Insight to attract young people into social enterprise through the new "Make Your Mark: Change Lives" campaign.
	The Business Link Service is the Government's gateway to support for small businesses. Funding will be provided from April 2007 to Regional Development Agencies to boost Business Link's capacity to broker business support for social enterprise. From an initial pilot level of at least £0.5 million in 2007-08, the funding will rise to £1.8 million per year from April 2008 to March 2011. This will help ensure that the right information and advice are available to those running social enterprises.

Special Advisers

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister without Portfolio whether her special advisers have  (a) conducted work and  (b) provided advice to her on the funding or financing of political parties in the last 12 months.

Hazel Blears: My special advisers provide me with advice in accordance with the provisions of the 'Code of Conduct for Special Advisers'.

Third Sector

Geoffrey Robinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what role the Cabinet Office plans for the third sector in the delivery of public services; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Miliband: The third sector already has a significant role in delivering public services. We are committed to positively encouraging the involvement of third sector organisations in the delivery of services in the future.
	On 6 December 2006, the Cabinet Office published "Partnership in Public Services: an action plan for third sector involvement". The action plan sets out 18 service areas in which there are particular new opportunities for the sector to deliver more, including in health, welfare, employment, education and probation services.
	Commitments in the action plan include developing commissioning frameworks and standard contracts to streamline public sector commissioning and procurement processes. We expect these reforms to make public services more accessible to third sector organisations that have the ambition to help design, deliver and improve public services.

V Charity

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what estimate she has made of the cost of administration for the charity V to date.

Edward Miliband: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 18 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1312W.

V Charity

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 17 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1207W, on the V charity, whether the figures for  (a) marketing and communications and  (b) web portal development are for youth volunteering projects or the administration of the charity V.

Edward Miliband: The funds provided to V for  (a) marketing and communications and  (b) web portal development are restricted grants that have allowed v to provide information to individuals and organisations on how to apply for project grants for youth volunteering opportunities, increase awareness of youth volunteering, and develop a web portal that will allow young people to look for appropriate volunteering opportunities and register their interest or participation in particular opportunities. The web portal will provide specific identifier numbers to allow young people to evaluate the opportunities they have taken part in, provide feedback and log the volunteering opportunities they have attended.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

British Household Panel Survey

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1144W, on British household panel survey, for what reason his Department considers living in  (a) a household with no other individuals, either adults or children and  (b) accommodation that is rented from either a local authority or from a housing association an indicator of disadvantage.

Malcolm Wicks: These measures were among a wide range of indicators of social disadvantage used in a report on multiple disadvantage (using the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS)) commissioned by the then Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) in 2003. Some of the measures are indicative of social disadvantage in a broad sense, without in themselves being direct measures of disadvantage.
	The ODPM published a report based on this work in September 2004 as "Low income and multiple disadvantage 1991 to 2001: Analysis of the British Household Panel Survey for the Social Exclusion Unit in the Breaking the Cycle Series".
	This report contains details of the results of the research, which was carried out on behalf of the Social Exclusion Unit by the University of Essex.
	Social exclusion unit report:
	www.socialexclusionunit.gov.uk/publications.asp?id=276.

Carbon Sequestration

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will establish further carbon capture and storage demonstration projects in addition to those proposed in the pre-Budget report.

Malcolm Wicks: The pre-Budget report announced the appointment of consulting engineers to look at the costs of building a carbon capture and storage plant based here in the UK. The results of this work will assist Government in reaching a decision on whether to commit to a demonstration project in 2007. However, in addition we have already allocated £35 million for the demonstration of carbon abatement technologies, which includes both cleaner coal and carbon capture and storage technologies.

Energy Saving

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will launch an advertising campaign to encourage people to save energy.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government are committed to raising awareness on climate change, and its links to energy use. DEFRA, the Department for Trade and Industry, and associated agencies and non-departmental public bodies currently run a number of different climate change-related communications activities focused on specific issues and target audiences. These include campaigns to address business and household energy efficiency, renewable power generation, low-carbon transport and climate change impacts.
	The Energy Saving Trust (EST), which is funded by DEFRA to promote energy efficiency in the household sector, runs campaigns to encourage consumers to take energy saving action. EST's "Save Your 20 per cent." marketing campaign is a key source of information and a call to action for consumers to reduce their energy use and install energy efficient measures.
	In addition, DEFRA is developing a CO2 calculator. This will be launched in the spring and promoted with an advertising campaign. It will help individuals to calculate their CO2 footprint and enable them to make more informed choices about how to save energy.

Engagements

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry with which non-governmental organisations he has had meetings to discuss energy policy since he took office; and how many such meetings have taken place.

Malcolm Wicks: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, and my noble Friend the Minister for Energy and I have held regular discussions since May 2006 with a wide variety of non-governmental organisations, including the UK Business Council for Sustainable Energy (UKBCSE), Green Alliance, CBI, Institute of Directors, British Chambers of Commerce, the Trade Union Sustainable Advisory Committee (TUSAC), and the Carbon Trust as well as a large number of individual companies and trade associations, on a range of energy issues including the Energy Review; energy prices; short term and long term security of supply; low carbon energy; and European and international energy policy. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and the CBI jointly chair the Business Energy Forum where energy issues are discussed at a strategic level with Ofgem and key industry bodies.

Environmental Liability Directive

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what meetings on which dates since May 2004  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department have had with (i) industry employees, (ii) members of trade bodies and (iii) members of non-governmental organisations in relation to the implementation of the environmental liability directive in the UK; and what organisations were represented at each meeting.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department has liaised with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs since 2002 (start of the negotiations) to the present concerning the transposition of the environmental liability directive.
	Throughout this time, the Department has held meetings, in conjunction with DEFRA, with members of the trade and non-governmental organisations and these are listed in a table which has been placed in the Library of the House as DEFRA's written answer, on 29 January 2007,  Official Report, column 12W.
	In addition to the above meetings, the Department held a meeting with the Association of Electricity Producers on 29 January 2007.

Executive Agencies

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which of the executive agencies of his Department have regional offices outside London.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department is responsible for the following five Executive agencies: Small Business Service, Companies House, the Insolvency Service, Patent Office and National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML). Their offices outside London are as follows:
	Small Business Service has an office in Sheffield.
	The Patent Office HQ is in South Wales.
	Companies House HQ is in Cardiff and has an office in Edinburgh.
	National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML) HQ is in Teddington.
	The Insolvency Service's offices are given in the following table.
	
		
			   Number 
			 East of England 6 
			 South West 5 
			 South East 5 
			 East Midland 3 
			 West Midland 3 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 3 
			 North East 2 
			 North West 5 
			 Wales 2 
			 Scotland 2

Executive Agencies

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which executive agencies are the responsibility of his Department; what the function is of each agency; and what the budget was of each agency in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department is responsible for the following five Executive agencies: Small Business Service, Companies House, the Insolvency Service, Patent Office and National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML).
	 Small Business Service
	Its main functions are to:
	Improve access to finance for small and medium enterprises;
	Build the capabilities of small and medium enterprises to grow;
	Encourage more enterprises in disadvantaged communities and under-represented groups;
	Develop better regulation; and
	Simplify support for businesses.
	Following a review last year, in April 2007 the SBS will cease to be an Executive agency and become a smaller policy unit within DTI's Enterprise and Business Group.
	Budget (2006-07): £232.6 million.
	 Companies House
	The main functions of Companies House are to:
	incorporate and dissolve limited companies;
	examine and store company information delivered under the Companies Act and related legislation; and
	make this information available to the public.
	Budget (2006-07): £70.3 million.
	 Insolvency Service
	The Insolvency Service:
	administers and investigates the affairs of bankrupts, of companies and partnerships wound up by the court, and establish why they became insolvent;
	acts as trustee/liquidator where no private sector insolvency practitioner is appointed;
	acts as nominee and supervisor in fast-track individual voluntary arrangements;
	takes forward reports of bankrupts' and directors' misconduct;
	deals with the disqualification of unfit directors in all corporate failures;
	deals with bankruptcy restrictions orders and undertakings;
	authorises and regulates the insolvency profession;
	assesses and pays statutory entitlement to redundancy payments when an employer cannot or will not pay its employees;
	provides banking and investment services for bankruptcy and liquidation estate funds;
	advises DTI Ministers and other Government Departments and agencies on insolvency, redundancy and related issues;
	provides information to the public on insolvency and redundancy matters via our website, leaflets, Insolvency Inquiry Line and Redundancy Payments Helpline; and
	conducts confidential fact-finding investigations into companies where it is in the public interest to do so. These inquiries are carried out by Companies Investigation Branch.
	Budget (2006-07): £163.5 million.
	 Patent Office
	The Patent Office is the Government body responsible for granting Intellectual
	Property (IP) rights in the United Kingdom. These rights include: Patents, Designs, Trade marks and Copyright. It has responsibility for:
	ensuring that the intellectual property system works to industry's benefit;
	making sure that the property rights issued under its authority carry respected validity in the marketplace, and
	promoting awareness of the value of intellectual property and its exploitation.
	Budget (2006-07): £49.6 million.
	 National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWMU)
	The National Weights and Measures Laboratory is responsible for ensuring UK measurement is accurate, fair and legal. It has responsibility for:
	policy on measuring instruments in use for trade;
	the implementation of European directives on measuring instruments and provides the focus for legal metrology in the UK;
	the examination and approval of new weighing and measuring equipment to be used for trade; and
	to establish compliance with the requirements of the Weights and Measures Act 1985 and relevant European legislation.
	Budget (2006-07): £3.9 million.

Mental Illness: Employment

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures he is taking to promote the employment within  (a) his Department and  (b) public sector bodies for whom he has responsibility of people with mental illnesses in line with the advice and codes of practice produced by the Disability Rights Commission.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Under the disability equality duty introduced by the Disability Discrimination Act 2005, the Department and the public sector bodies for which I am responsible are required to publish and implement Disability Equality Schemes. These are plans setting out how we will carry out the disability equality duty, monitor, and report on progress. In particular this includes our arrangements for gathering information on the effect of our policies and practices on the recruitment, development and retention of our disabled employees, including those with mental health conditions, and making use of that information.
	The Department's Disability Equality Scheme was launched on 4 December 2006.
	The public sector bodies sponsored by the Department that are subject to these requirements are responsible for publishing and implementing their own Disability Equality Schemes.

Parliamentary Questions

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many written parliamentary questions to his Department in the 2005-06 session were not answered wholly or in part on grounds of disproportionate cost.

Jim Fitzpatrick: This information is not held in the format requested. However, the Library of the House keeps a record of all questions answered and according to its data the DTI cited disproportionate cost in 18 answers out of a total of 5,146 answered during the 2005-06 session.

Post Offices

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post offices are required under the Government's proposed access criteria in each parliamentary constituency.

Jim Fitzpatrick: No such assessment has been made. Post Office Ltd. will be required to implement the necessary transformation of the network in accordance with the Government's access criteria and with a maximum of 2,500 compensated sub-post office closures.

Post Offices

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the distances referred to in The Post Office Network Consultation Document are measured as the crow flies.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The national consultation outlines the broad framework based on measuring the percentage of population within the radius of each post office. However, in implementing the proposals, Post Office Ltd. would take into account local factors affecting ease of access, such as rivers, mountains, valleys and sea crossings.

Post Offices

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to allow diversification of services in Post Office contracts; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government have been working closely with Royal Mail and Post Office Ltd. to ensure that it is able to deliver high quality services that customers want. This included £500 million investment in Horizon enabling the Post Office to develop its financial service business by opening up its counters to up to 20 million bank customers and becoming the UK's leading provider of foreign exchange services.
	The vast majority of post offices are private businesses, which are also able to pursue their own commercial interests.

Post Offices

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how his Department defines  (a) urban,  (b) rural and  (c) remote areas in the context of access criteria in the Post Office Network Consultation Document.

Jim Fitzpatrick: In relation to the Post Office Network Consultation Document, an urban area is defined as a settlement of more than 10,000 inhabitants. A rural area is defined as a settlement of less than 10,000 inhabitants. There is no departmental definition of a remote area as no access criteria proposals relate solely to "remote" areas.
	Alongside the Government's proposed national access criteria, is the criterion that 95 per cent. of the population in postcode districts should be within six miles of a post office service. Implicit in this criterion is a safeguard for people in remote areas who might otherwise not have been assured of reasonable accessibility to services under nationally-applied criteria alone.

Renewable Energy

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what  (a) funding and  (b) grant programmes are available for research into the use of tidal power; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government have in place a number of initiatives that support tidal power.
	Since 2000 around £20 million has been committed to support research and development of tidal-stream energy technologies under the DTI Technology Programme, and a further £50 million has been made available under the DTI's Marine Renewables Deployment Fund to support the first larger-scale pre-commercial grid- connected wave and tidal-stream demonstration projects.
	The Research Council's Supergen Marine Energy Research Consortium has, since 2003, conducted a £2.6 million research project into marine renewable energy including tidal energy.
	The Government's main mechanism for supporting renewable energy is the renewables obligation (RO). The RO is a market-based mechanism, which requires electricity suppliers to source an increasing percentage of their electricity sales from eligible sources of renewable energy providing a substantial market incentive for renewable energy, including tidal power. The Government recently announced, in the Energy Review Report, their intention to consider "banding" the RO, so as to give more support to emerging energy technologies including tidal power.
	It also announced that the DTI, together with the Welsh Assembly Government, are working with the Sustainable Development Commission, the South West Regional Development Agency and other key interested parties to explore the issues arising on the tidal resource in the UK, including the Severn estuary, including potential costs and benefits of development using a range of tidal technologies and their public acceptability. The study is due to report in June 2007.
	The above does not include support for research made available from the devolved administrations, regional development agencies or the European Commission.

Right to Strike

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in preparing submissions to the European Court of Justice on the Viking case, what view his Department has taken on the question of whether the right to strike is protected in EU law as a fundamental right.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Viking case highlights the conflict which may exist between national laws, which in some member states include the right to strike, and the European treaty. The Government intervened in this case to maintain the status quo including, in some circumstances, the right to take collective action.

Smart Metering

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what projection he has made of the effect of smart metering on consumers' domestic energy usage;
	(2)  whether the Government plan to carry out research on the effect of smart metering on consumer domestic energy usage.

Malcolm Wicks: As part of the Energy Review, the Government are currently consulting on a range of metering and billing issues, including smart metering. Trials of smart meters and other devices, which the Government are co-funding with supplier-led consortiums, will also begin shortly. These trials will test a range of approaches to encourage consumers to reduce energy consumption.

WEEE Directive

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the preparedness of companies for the implementation of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive; what advice he has issued to those industries affected; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 30 January 2007
	Large producers and retailers are aware of their obligations under the WEEE regulations, but there is a perception that awareness among SMEs could be better. This has and continues to be tackled on a number of fronts: through direct dialogue with trade associations and other representative bodies of businesses affected by the regulations; by trade associations themselves taking a proactive approach to disseminating information on the requirements of the regulations; through targeted articles in trade press; and by holding regional seminars to help producers and retailers better understand their obligations.
	DTI will issue non-statutory guidance shortly which will add clarity to the regulations and help stakeholders to make informed decisions on how best to discharge their obligations.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Autism and Special Needs

Janet Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils with  (a) an autistic spectrum disorder and  (b) special educational needs were (i) temporarily excluded and (ii) permanently excluded from a maintained (A) primary and (B) secondary school in each of the last five years, broken down by ethnic group.

Parmjit Dhanda: The available information is given in the following tables.
	The information the DfES collects on excluded pupils is broken down to show whether they have special educational needs (SEN) but does not extend to type of SEN. The information provided in this response relates to excluded pupils with SEN (both with and without statements).
	The first year for which information on fixed period exclusions is available relates to the 2003-04 academic year. Data on exclusions are collected retrospectively. Exclusions data for 2004-05 academic year were published in June 2006. The available information relating to fixed period exclusions during 2003-04 and 2004-05 has been provided.
	
		
			  Maintained primary and secondary schools( 1) : number of fixed period exclusions by ethnic group and special educational needs( 2) , 2003-04 and 2004-05, England 
			   Pupils with statements of SEN and pupils with SEN without statements( 3) 
			   Primary  Secondary 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2003-04  2004-05 
			   Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			  White  23,310  4.1  24,730  4.3  107,080  24.6  121,890  26.8 
			 White British 22,620 4.1 24,000 4.4 104,660 24.8 118,990 27.0 
			 Irish 80 2.7 130 4.6 470 23.1 470 23.1 
			 Traveller of Irish heritage 120 7.8 120 6.7 180 36.8 230 45.7 
			 Gypsy/Roma 170 7.2 180 7.4 320 38.5 510 50.5 
			 Any other White background 330 2.2 310 1.9 1,440 13.4 1,700 15.6 
			  
			  Mixed  1,240  5.6  1,370  5.8  4,180  32.9  5,260  37.9 
			 White and Black Caribbean 670 7.4 710 7.4 2,330 41.8 2,950 47.4 
			 White and Black African 130 5.8 110 4.4 310 26.3 430 31.5 
			 White and Asian 120 3.6 100 2.8 360 20.4 490 25.8 
			 Any other Mixed background 320 4.2 440 5.6 1,180 28.0 1,390 31.8 
			  
			  Asian  460  1.0  510  1.0  3,330  10.7  3,680  11.1 
			 Indian 50 0.5 70 0.6 580 7.1 750 9.3 
			 Pakistani 300 1.2 320 1.2 2,000 13.2 1,980 12.1 
			 Bangladeshi 60 0.7 60 0.6 520 9.8 630 11.0 
			 Any other Asian background 50 1.3 60 1.4 240 9.2 330 10.7 
			  
			  Black  1,890  5.4  2,040  5.4  5,880  24.3  6,620  26.4 
			 Black Caribbean 1,090 7.4 1,110 7.5 3,340 29.1 3,540 30.9 
			 Black African 570 3.4 720 3.9 1,570 16.1 1,970 18.5 
			 Any other Black background 240 6.2 210 5.1 980 32.7 1,110 37.8 
			  
			  Chinese  #  #  10  0.7  40  3.3  50  4.4 
			  
			  Any other ethnic group  90  1.4  110  1.6  610  13.6  700  14.1 
			  
			  Unclassified( 5)  1,590  n/a  1,360  n/a  8,630  n/a  8,650  n/a 
			  
			  All pupils( 2)  28,580  4.1  30,120  4.3  129,740  24.5  146,860  26.7 
			 n/a = not applicable # = less than five exclusions, or a rate based on less than 5 exclusions. (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes pupils of compulsory school age and above. (3) Pupils with SEN without statements includes those pupils supported at School Action and at School Action Plus. (4) The number of exclusions expressed as a percentage of the school population of same ethnic origin with special educational needs (both with and without statements). (5) Includes pupils whose ethnic group has not been classified, or has been classified using a different coding framework.  Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10  Source: Termly Exclusions Survey and Schools Census 
		
	
	A change in the categories for recording ethnicity data means that comparable figures on the ethnicity of excluded pupils are only available from 2003-04 onwards.
	There are quality issues with data on permanent exclusions. A significant number of schools are known to have under-reported the situation. The Department has carried out checking exercises in each year to confirm the overall number of permanent exclusions. However, this only confirmed the number of exclusions in each local authority area and did not include information on the characteristics (such as SEN provision and ethnic group) of the excluded pupil. Figures provided in this response relating to permanent exclusions are as reported by schools and are known to be incomplete. The data are not sufficiently reliable or robust to provide detailed ethnic breakdowns by SEN provision.
	
		
			  Maintained primary and secondary schools( 1) : number of permanent exclusions by ethnic group and special educational needs( 2,3) , 2003-04 and 2004-05, England 
			   Pupils with statements of SEN and pupils without statements( 4) 
			   Primary  Secondary 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2003-04  2004-05 
			   Number  Percentage( 5)  Number  Percentage( 5)  Number  Percentage( 5)  Number  Percentage( 5) 
			 White(6) 760 0.13 250 0.04 3,760 0.86 3,600 0.79 
			 Mixed(7) 60 0.25 20 0.09 200 1.55 220 1.60 
			 Asian(8) 10 0.02 10 0.01 90 0.30 110 0,32 
			 Black(9) 70 0.18 20 0.06 310 1.28 290 1.16 
			 Other(10) 10 0.06 # 0.02 30 0.56 20 0.36 
			 Unclassified(11) 40 n/a 10 n/a 220 n/a 180 n/a 
			 Total 930 0.13 310 0.04 4,610 0.87 4,420 0.80 
			 n/a = not applicable # = less than five exclusions, or a rate based on less than five exclusions. (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) There are quality issues with permanent exclusions data for these years. Schools are known to have under-reported the situation. Figures shown here are as reported by schools and are unconfirmed. Caution is recommended when interpreting this output (3) Includes only those pupils of compulsory school age and above. (4) Pupils with SEN without statements includes those pupils supported at School Action and at School Action Plus. (5) The number of exclusions expressed as a percentage of the school population of same ethnic origin with special educational needs (both with and without statements). (6) Includes pupils whose ethnic group has been classified as White British, Irish, Traveller of Irish heritage, Gypsy/Roma or any other White background. (7) Includes pupils whose ethnic group has been classified as White and Black Caribbean, White and Black African, White and Asian or any other Mixed background. (8) Includes pupils whose ethnic group has been classified as Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi or any other Asian background. (9) Includes pupils whose ethnic group has been classified as Black Caribbean, Black African or any other Black background. (10) Includes pupils whose ethnic group has been classified as Chinese or any other ethnic group. (11) Includes pupils whose ethnic group has not been classified, or has been classified using a different coding framework.  Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: Schools Census

Autism and Special Needs

Janet Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils there are in maintained  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools with (i) an autistic spectrum disorder and (ii) special educational needs, broken down by ethnic group.

Parmjit Dhanda: The requested information is given in the following table.
	Information was collected from schools on pupils who are supported at "School Action Plus" and those pupils with a statement of special educational needs (SEN) about their main or primary need and, if appropriate, their secondary need for the first time in 2004.
	There are a number of sensitivities about categorising pupils by their type of SEN. It is important that anyone using the data should be aware of the concerns and also understand the limitations of the data's reliability and validity. There are a range of factors which may affect the data recorded, including:
	Local interpretation of definitions
	Classification of children with multiple needs
	Differences in diagnoses between education and health professionals
	Availability of special school provisions in authorities
	
		
			  Maintained primary and secondary schools( 1) : Number and percentage of pupils with special educational needs (SEN)( 2) —as at January 2006—England 
			   Pupils of compulsory school age and above( 3) 
			   Primary  Secondary  Primary  Secondary 
			   Number of pupils with autistic spectrum disorder( 4)  Percentage of pupils with an autistic spectrum disorder( 5)  Number of pupils with autistic spectrum disorder( 4)  Percentage of pupils with an autistic spectrum disorder( 5)  Number of pupils with SEN( 6)  Percentage of pupils with SEN( 7)  Number of pupils with SEN( 6)  Percentage of pupils with SEN( 7) 
			 White 13,420 6.0 9,250 4.8 581,110 21.3 478,450 17.3 
			 White British 12,920 6.0 8,990 4.9 555,630 21.2 461,550 17.3 
			 Irish 80 7.4 50 5.8 2,720 22.0 2,120 17.3 
			 Traveller of Irish heritage (8)— (8)— (8)— (8)— 1,810 60.4 560 52.9 
			 Gypsy/Roma 10 0.7 (8)— (8)— 2,620 50.9 1,150 50.1 
			 Any other White background 410 6.6 210 4.5 18,330 20.8 13,070 17.5 
			  
			 Mixed 630 6.5 260 4.0 25,650 21.8 16,030 19.0 
			 White and Black Caribbean 210 5.4 70 2.5 10,110 25.2 7,170 23.5 
			 White and Black African 70 6.5 30 4.3 2,820 22.5 1,540 19.2 
			 White and Asian 100 6.9 50 5.9 4,070 16.8 2,300 13.6 
			 Any other Mixed background 260 7.7 110 5.3 8,650 21.3 5,030 17.4 
			  
			 Asian 550 3.2 180 1.6 54,620 20.6 37,060 16.8 
			 Indian 180 5.2 80 3.3 11,690 15.0 8,440 10.7 
			 Pakistani 220 2.5 60 1.0 27,780 25.2 18,530 22.4 
			 Bangladeshi 70 2.1 20 0.8 10,330 22.2 6,420 19.6 
			 Any other Asian background 80 5.7 20 2.0 4,830 15.5 3,680 13.7 
			  
			 Black 770 5.2 210 2.0 40,270 27.2 27,390 23.3 
			 Black Caribbean 260 4.5 100 2.0 14,920 30.7 11,780 27.3 
			 Black African 420 5.8 70 1.7 20,980 25.0 12,440 20.6 
			 Any other Black background 90 5.2 40 2.8 4,370 27.7 3,170 22.9 
			  
			 Chinese 50 9.7 30 5.5 1,310 11.8 1,330 10.3 
			  
			 Any other ethnic group 90 3.5 30 1.9 8,020 21.5 5,560 18.7 
			  
			 Unclassified(4) 220 n/a 260 n/a 11,640 n/a 14,600 n/a 
			  
			 All pupils(2) 15,720 5.8 10,200 4.5 722,610 21.6 580,420 17.6 
			 n/a = not applicable. (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Excludes dually registered pupils. (3) Pupils aged 5 and over are classified according to their ethnic group. (4) Pupils at "School Action Plus" and those pupils with statements of SEN provide information on their primary need and, if appropriate, their secondary need. Information on primary need only is given here. (5) The number of pupils with an autistic spectrum disorder expressed as a percentage of pupils at "School Action Plus" and those pupils with statements of SEN. (6) Pupils with SEN, both with and without statements. (7) The number of pupils with SEN (both with and without statements) expressed as a percentage of the total number of pupils of same ethnic origin. (8) Less than 5 pupils or a rate based on less than 5 pupils.  Note: Pupil numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10  Source: Schools Census

Centres of Vocational Excellence

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what vocational skills are covered by the centres of vocational excellence.

Phil Hope: The LSC have approved 403 CoVEs since 2001 across England in a range of sectors. Currently 383 CoVEs are operational under the original criteria. The areas of learning they cover include:
	Information and Communications Technology
	Business Administration and Management
	Construction
	Engineering and Technology
	Visual/Performing Arts
	Health and Social Care
	Land-based Provision
	Hospitality/Sports/Leisure
	Sciences and Maths
	Retailing and Customer Services
	Hairdressing and Beauty.

Child Care

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of families in West Lancashire  (a) are eligible for and  (b) have taken up (i) free and (ii) subsidised child care.

Beverley Hughes: Information is not available in the form requested.
	Figures available from the Office for National Statistics for December 2005 show that West Lancashire parliamentary constituency had a population of 2,400(1) three and four-year-olds, and the 2006 Early Years and Annual Schools Censuses show the number of part-time early education places funded by the free entitlement for three and four-year-olds in the West Lancashire parliamentary constituency was 1,900(2).
	Data on eligibility and take-up of free or subsidised child care overall is not available centrally.
	Child care used by parents can be subsidised in a variety of ways, including the child care element of the working tax credit, local authority subsidies, Jobcentre Plus New Deals, Care to Learn, Learner Support Funds and NHS child care allowances.
	(1) ONS population estimates are aggregated to age groupings of at least five years. Figures based on a single year of age at the sub-national level are therefore of limited reliability.
	(2 )The number of children benefiting from some form of free early education can exceed the number of free part-time early education places taken up by children as a place may be taken up by more than one child.

Child Fostering

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many gay couples are fostering children.

Parmjit Dhanda: Details of individual foster carers are not recorded centrally.

Children: Databases

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he expects to publish a full evaluation of the outcomes from the trailblazing authorities on information sharing on children.

Beverley Hughes: Eleven local authority Trailblazers' have piloted information sharing approaches with financial support from my department, nine of which developed local indexes.
	In 2004, an independent research report about the Trailblazer experiences, "Developing Information Sharing and Assessment Systems" was published. On 8 December 2005, I laid in the House of Commons' Library the report "Learning from Information Sharing and Assessment Trailblazers" detailing the main lessons learnt from the Trailblazer authorities' work.
	The Trailblazers have continued to influence the development of tools to support better information sharing, including national, cross-Government guidance on Information Sharing published in 2006 and supporting training materials. They continue to work closely with the national Information Sharing Index Project, which draws extensively on their experience and expertise.
	There are no plans to publish any further evaluation of the Trailblazers.

Correspondence

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his Department's target time is for responding to letters from outside organisations.

Parmjit Dhanda: DfES aims to reply to 95 per cent. of all correspondence within 15 working days and 100 per cent. of requests under the Freedom of Information Act within 20 working days.

Departmental Expenditure

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which 10 items branded with the departmental logo cost the most to produce; and what that cost was for each.

Alan Johnson: The Department does not hold information of this kind centrally.

Education: North-east England

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England have received education maintenance allowance in each year since its inception; and how much each grant of allowance was in each year since inception.

Phil Hope: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council, who operate Education Maintenance Allowances for the DfES and hold the information about take-up of the scheme. Mark Haysom, the Council's chief executive, has written to my hon. Friend with the information requested and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 29 January 2007:
	I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question 115354 that asked; "How many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England have received education maintenance allowance in each year since its inception; and how much each allowance was worth in every year since inception."
	Information on the number of young people who have applied, enrolled and received Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is available at Local Authority Level, but not at constituency level. EMA take-up is defined as young people who have received one or more EMA payments in the academic year. Financial information is only available at National Level, not at Local Authority Level.
	The following table shows EMA take-up data for South Tyneside Local Authority area, the North East and England during each academic year since inception.
	
		
			  Take-up of EMA in each academic year 
			   South Tyneside  North East  England 
			 2004/05 1,636 19,409 297,259 
			 2005/06 1,711 25,755 429,627 
			 2006/07(1) 1,924 29,246 481,769 
			 (1) To end December. 
		
	
	Since national roll-out in September 2004, each weekly allowance payment has been £10, £20 or £30 depending on the income of the household where the recipient resides. Total expenditure is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  EMA expenditure in each financial year (national scheme) 
			  £ million 
			   Full costs (including admin costs) 
			 2004/05 260 
			 2005/06 406.6 
			 2006/07(1) 300.6 
			 (1) To end December. 
		
	
	I hope you find this information useful. If you would like further details please contact Shubana Nawaz at the LSC National Office on 0114 2074534 or shubana.nawaz@lsc.gov.uk.

Educational Attainment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the educational attainment levels of  (a) Gypsy,  (b) Traveller,  (c) white British and (d) UK Irish pupils were in each of the last 10 years.

Beverley Hughes: Pupil level information was collected for the first time in 2002 which enables the Department to cross match attainment levels against pupil characteristics. However, it is only from 2003 onwards that data are available on a consistent basis using the latest ethnic group classification; and these are given in the following tables.
	
		
			  Key Stage 1: England—percentage of pupils achieving Level 2 and above at Key Stage 1( 1) 
			   Gypsy/Roma  Traveller of Irish Heritage  White British  Irish 
			  2003( 2) 
			 Reading 42 28 85 84 
			 Writing 38 28 82 81 
			 Mathematics 60 52 91 91 
			  
			  2004( 3) 
			 Reading 45 31 86 85 
			 Writing 43 29 83 83 
			 Mathematics 64 50 91 91 
			  
			  2005( 4) 
			 Reading 42 32 86 86 
			 Writing 40 30 84 84 
			 Mathematics 62 52 92 92 
			 Science 61 49 91 92 
			  
			  2006( 4) 
			 Reading 40 30 86 85 
			 Writing 37 30 83 82 
			 Mathematics 60 50 91 91 
			 Science 58 49 91 90 
			 (1) Results are based on provisional data. (2) Task/test results. (3) Task/test results for non-trial schools and teacher assessment results for trial schools. (4) Teacher assessment results only. 
		
	
	
		
			  Key Stage 2: England—percentage of pupils achieving Level 4 and above at Key Stage 2( 1) 
			   Gypsy/Roma  Traveller of Irish Heritage  White British  Irish 
			  2003 
			 English 30 23 76 82 
			 Mathematics 27 19 73 78 
			 Science 48 36 88 90 
			  
			  2004 
			 English 30 23 78 82 
			 Mathematics 25 23 75 78 
			 Science 45 38 87 88 
			  
			  2005 
			 English 37 26 80 84 
			 Mathematics 33 26 76 80 
			 Science 53 39 88 89 
			  
			  2006 
			 English 35 27 80 82 
			 Mathematics 32 29 77 80 
			 Science 50 42 88 89 
			 (1) Results for 2003 to 2005 are based on revised data. Results for 2006 are based on provisional data. 
		
	
	
		
			  Key Stage 3: England—percentage of pupils achieving Level 5 and above at Key Stage 3( 1) 
			   Gypsy/Roma  Traveller of Irish Heritage  White British  Irish 
			  2003 
			 English 33 49 70 75 
			 Mathematics 35 49 72 75 
			 Science 35 45 70 73 
			  
			  2004 
			 English 19 26 72 76 
			 Mathematics 23 24 74 76 
			 Science 17 23 68 70 
			  
			  2005 
			 English 29 23 75 77 
			 Mathematics 27 22 75 74 
			 Science 23 18 71 71 
			  
			  2006 
			 English n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Mathematics n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Science n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 n/a = not available. 2006 results for Key Stage 3 are currently not available as these data work to a different time scale to the other Key Stages. Provisional Key Stage 3 attainment by pupil characteristics will be published in our Statistical First Release on 15 February 2007. (1) Results for 2003 to 2005 are based on revised data. 
		
	
	
		
			  GCSE and equivalent achievements: England—percentage of pupils achieving 5 or more A*-C grades at GCSE( 1) 
			   Gypsy/Roma  Traveller of Irish Heritage  White British  Irish 
			 2003(2) 23.2 41.6 51.3 60.1 
			 2004(2, 3) 13.5 30.2 52.3 58.3 
			 2005(3, 4) 14.7 22.5 55.0 62.6 
			 2006(3, 4) 9.9 19.0 57.2 60.8 
			 (1) Results for 2003 to 2005 are based on revised data. Results for 2006 are based on provisional data. (2) Number of pupils aged 15 at the start of the academic year. (3) Includes GCSE and equivalent achievements.3 (4) Number of pupils on roll at the end of Key Stage 4 in each academic year.

English for Speakers of Other Languages

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what evidence he took into account when establishing the new English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) for work/job-focused ESOL qualification requirements.

Phil Hope: The evidence taken into account in this situation came predominantly from the levels of activity in the Further Education (FE) sector as recorded through the Learning and Skills Council's (LSC's) Individualised Learner Record (ILR). ESOL provision in England is growing at an unsustainable level and there are waiting lists for courses in most key regions, particularly in London. Although it is not possible to have wholly disaggregated information beyond getting a view of the total levels, it is clear that something needs to be done to ensure that we prioritise provision on those who most need it.
	As a result a range of measures have been introduced including new ESOL for Work qualifications. These will be shorter, simpler and more work focused, to better meet the needs of employers and those who need English for the workplace.

English for Speakers of Other Languages

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the impact of the decision to de-approve English for speakers of other languages international qualifications.

Phil Hope: English for speakers of other languages international qualifications are not being de-approved. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) is working with awarding bodies on the process of accrediting them for a further period.
	These qualifications have been developed by awarding bodies, predominantly, to meet the needs of an international commercial market with a more academic focus than ESOL Skills for Life or the coming ESOL for Work. It is recognised that international, commercial ESOL training makes a significant contribution to the economy but this is based on learners and organisation paying fees which meet the full costs of the training and the qualifications are geared to this quite specific market. On this basis, they do not presently attract public funding and will not be approved for this purpose in the future.

English for Speakers of Other Languages

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in what way existing English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) qualifications do not meet the proposed ESOL for Work/job-focused ESOL criteria.

Phil Hope: There are two categories of ESOL qualifications presently available; ESOL Skills for Life and ESOL International.
	ESOL Skills for Life qualifications were designed to meet the needs of those people who are resident, or at least on long term stays in this country. On that basis they are comprehensive in nature, covering the broad range of skills and cultural contexts, and often delivered through quite long courses. They do not best meet the needs of those people wishing to acquire language skills for the specific purpose of getting a job, either in terms of the way they are delivered or their content. If these qualifications provide verification that learners have evenly balanced skills in each of the main skill areas of reading, writing, speaking and listening, the work environment may not require all of these skills to be present at the same levels.
	ESOL International qualifications have been developed by Awarding Bodies, predominantly, to meet the needs of an international market with a more academic focus. It is recognised that these make a significant contribution to the economy but this is a fee paying market and the qualifications are geared to this. These qualifications tend to be graded, have the same assumptions about the balance of skills as their Skills for Life cousins and carry quite heavy assessment burdens.
	The new ESOL for Work qualifications will better provide for the needs of those people and employers requiring language purely for employment purposes by providing an easy to understand pass/fail qualification with slimmed down assessment processes, but most importantly recognising achievement of a balance of skills at the range of levels necessary for work. For instance, it may be that reading, speaking and listening are required at a higher level than writing.

English for Speakers of Other Languages

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to improve provision and quality of English for speakers of other languages teaching.

Phil Hope: The quality of provision of English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) is critically important to their chances of success and progression. The Quality Improvement Agency (QIA) has a clear remit to improve the quality of all Skills for Life through the Skills for Life Improvement Programme and its related projects which are being funded for the 2007/08 period with over £16 million. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority has also been asked to work with Awarding Bodies to extend the range of qualifications presently on offer to include a new ESOL for Work qualification. The combination of these actions should work to improve quality and extend provision by ensuring that there are qualifications which meet the needs of employers.
	The new ESOL for Work qualifications will better provide for the needs of those people and employers requiring language purely for employment purposes by providing an easy to understand pass/fail qualification with slimmed down assessment processes. Most importantly these qualifications will recognise achievement of a balance of skills across the range of levels necessary for work. For instance, it may be that reading, speaking and listening are required at a higher level than writing.
	Importantly the opportunity has been taken to strengthen connections between the quality of ESOL teaching and the requirement of ESOL qualifications. These reforms will be implemented from September 2007.
	The breadth of provision and quality are key aims and although significant improvements have been made since the launch of Skills for Life in 2001, the drive for excellence will continue to be supported.

Learning Disabilities

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schoolchildren in Essex have learning disabilities; and what percentage of such children are taught in mainstream schools.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department for Education and Skills collects information on children with special educational needs (SEN). A child has SEN if he has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of his age, and/or he has a disability which either prevents or hinders him from making use of educational facilities generally provided for children of his age within his local authority area.
	The following table shows numbers of pupils with SEN in the Essex local authority.
	
		
			  Mainstream schools: Number and percentage of pupils with SEN( 1) —January 2006—Essex local authority 
			Pupils with statements of SEN  Pupils with SEN without statment( 2) 
			   Total pupils  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 Total all schools 212,090 5,039 2.4 28,456 13.4 
			  of which taught in:  
			 Maintained nursery 295 (3)— (3)— 30 10.2 
			 Maintained primary(4) 107,092 1,524 1.4 16,004 14.9 
			 Maintained secondary(4) 91,095 1,471 1.6 11,117 12.2 
			   
			 Total mainstream 198,482 2,995 1.5 27,151 13.7 
			 (1) Excludes dually registered pupils. (2) Schools provide support to children with SEN taking account of the advice in the SEN code of practice which recommends school based support at two levels—"School Action" and "School Action Plus". Where a child does not make adequate progress with the support provided at "School Action Plus", the local authority may assess the child and issue a statement of the child's special educational needs. (3) Less than 3, or a rate based on less than 3. (4) Includes middle schools as deemed.  Source: Schools' Census

Parliamentary Questions

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many parliamentary questions were tabled to his Department in 2006, broken down by  (a) ordinary written and  (b) named day; what percentage of ordinary written questions were answered within 10 working days; and what percentage of named day questions were answered by the specific date.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department received 5,007 questions, out of which 3,826 were ordinary written and 791 were named day.
	The Department's PQ tracking system is, however, unable to break down the other data requested and to do so would incur disproportionate cost. This Department aims to ensure that Members receive a substantive response to their named day question on the named day, and endeavours to answer ordinary written questions within a working week of being tabled. Unfortunately, this is not always possible but this Department makes every effort to achieve these timescales.

Public Service Vehicle Drivers

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance he issues to local authorities on whether bus drivers regularly used for school transport should be checked by the Criminal Records Bureau.

Parmjit Dhanda: We are currently consulting on draft school transport guidance. This states that
	"local authorities should ensure that the authority's employees or employees of contractors whose duties involve a high level of contact with children or vulnerable adults are subject to enhanced Criminal Records Bureau checks. This should include bus drivers and escorts".

Runaways

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent estimate he has made of the numbers of children who are classified as runaways.

Parmjit Dhanda: In 2002 the Social Exclusion Unit's report estimated the number at around 77,000 in the UK, of whom around 65,000 were in England. The Children's Society, a leading voluntary sector body on runaways issues, estimated in 2005 that these numbers have remained stable since 1999. We are currently working closely with the Children's Society to assess how far local authority services for young people provide an effective response to runaways.

Special Educational Needs

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many education supervision orders were put in place for children with special educational needs in West Lancashire in each of the last five years.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department does not collect data relating to education supervision orders.

Special Educational Needs

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he has taken to improve the provision of specialised education facilities for visually impaired children in Milton Keynes.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department part-funds 10 Regional Partnerships in England, which bring together local authorities with the aim that they collaborate to promote inclusion and positive outcomes for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and looked-after children. The Partnerships that cover the South East region have developed materials and initiatives to improve the provision of services for children with a sensory impairment, including a visual impairment. These include:
	Quality standards on visual impairment (2001), sensory impairment (2003) and multi-sensory impairment (2004). All have been disseminated nationally.
	Remodelling the workforce—considerations for support services (2004). This guidance is targeted to professionals working in sensory impairment services.
	Online training for staff in schools. Specific materials on visual impairment to be developed this year.
	Sensory impaired 14+ Transition Protocol. This guidance contains recommendations to support young people with a sensory impairment from school to further education.
	Sensory impaired glossary of terms. This glossary includes terms for sensory impaired and multi-sensory impaired multi-agency working. (2006)
	Outreach work with the non-maintained and independent special school sector and local authorities to develop innovative solutions for support services for children with a visual impairment.
	Sensory impairment benchmarking exercise. This includes schools and other support services.
	As part of the Department's commitment to establish regional centres of expertise for low incidence SEN, funding is secured for 2006-07 to run a training course covering a practical approach to supporting access to learning for children with sensory impairments.

Special Educational Needs

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students there were with  (a) special educational needs which were statemented at school and  (b) unstatemented special educational needs who did not complete courses in further education colleges in each year from 1997 to 2006, broken down by local authority.

Parmjit Dhanda: To answer the question with a degree of accuracy requires a combination of information from the pupil data submitted to the DfES by schools and the learner data that is submitted to the LSC by FE colleges. The two datasets have not been combined for all adult learners to match the learner information together, so an analysis of retention rates in further education provision based on post-16 pupils' special educational needs (SEN) status during their time in compulsory education is not possible.
	However, learner self-assessment of whether they have a learning difficulty, disability and/or health problem is recorded on the LSC's learner data. In 2004-05 the national success rate for these learners was 73 per cent., compared with 74 per cent. for those without a learning difficulty, disability and/or health problem.
	In the future it will be possible for information about the SEN status of pupils in schools to be matched to information about individuals in the FE sector as the education and training sector adopts Unique Learner Numbers (ULNs) as part of the portfolio of work within the Managing Information Across Partners (MIAP) programme. This will enable the progress of learners with SEN to be monitored in terms of the schools local authority legal definition, enabling local areas to understand better how they are supporting their local communities and what changes they may need to make to improve services.

Special Educational Needs

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the practicability of level P1 for science for children with severe and multiple disabilities;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the evidence base underlying P level assessments for special schools.

Parmjit Dhanda: The P scales are for pupils with special educational needs (SEN) working below level 1 of the National Curriculum. For children working at levels P1 to P3, we would expect teachers to assess the type and range of performance that a child working at this level might demonstrate across a range of subjects. The guidance issued by my Department, "Supporting the target setting process", provides the same descriptors of performance across all subjects at P levels 1 to 3, with some subject specific examples to help teachers with assessment.
	The P scales were first published to assist schools in setting targets for pupils with special educational needs (SEN) and were further developed following a review in 2003. The review sought the views of a range of respondents including staff in mainstream and special schools, Ofsted inspectors and members of Her Majesty's Inspectorate. There was endorsement for the use of P scales in all settings and for the collection of national data.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Balkans

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her counterpart  (a) in the US and  (b) at the UN on proposed EU enlargement to the Balkans.

Geoff Hoon: Ministers and officials have regular discussions with their US and UN counterparts on the Western Balkans. In these meetings we restate our commitment to EU enlargement for the Western Balkans.

Bermuda

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the total cost of the Governor of Bermuda and his staff met by her Department, including the Residence and Government House and other offices and residential accommodation used by staff, was in the last year for which figures are available; how much and what proportion of these costs are met by the Finance Ministry of Bermuda; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The majority of the costs for the Governor of Bermuda and his staff are met by the Government of Bermuda. In the financial year 2005-06 the costs borne by the Bermuda Ministry of Finance were Bermudian $1.345 million. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office pays for certain expenditure related to the terms and conditions applicable to the UK-based staff in the Governor's Office such as accommodation running costs, travel, and medical insurance cover. In the financial year 2005-06 this amounted to approximately Bermudian $50,000.

Bermuda

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what initiatives the Government of Bermuda has taken consequent on the report she received from Colonel Baxter of the British Defence Staff, Washington DC into the Bermuda Regiment's Fitness for Role Inspection dated 29 November 2005; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The Governor has invited the Defence Board to take forward the recommendations made in the report.

Bermuda

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the basis was for Governor Sir John Vereker's statement on 22 January that there was no public support for an end to male conscription to the Bermuda Regiment; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The Governor made no statement on 22 January. On 10 January, he commented that the suggestion that conscription to the Bermuda Regiment should be ended was not widely supported. This was on the basis of public opinion polling in Bermuda.

Colombia

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the human rights record of the Colombian Department of Administrative Security.

Geoff Hoon: In our regular assessments of the overall human rights situation in Colombia we take into account the actions of the Colombian Government, including the Department of Administrative Security (DAS). As in other areas of Government, there have been allegations of irregularities on the part of the DAS, such as links with paramilitaries (according to the 2005 United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Annual Report). While we are concerned by this, we are encouraged by the willingness of the relevant Colombian authorities to investigate these issues and by President Uribes's statement that he will not tolerate abuses by state officials or members of the security forces. For example, the former head of the DAS is currently under investigation. We regularly raise human rights issues with the Colombian Government and urge them to take steps to improve the record of the security forces, including the DAS.

Departmental Expenditure

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was spent by her Department on buying, operating and supporting  (a) all commercial software products and  (b) software products produced by Microsoft in each of the last three years.

Geoff Hoon: As the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) operates devolved budgets the information needed to answer the hon. Member's question is not held centrally and could be collated only at disproportionate cost.
	However, the hon. Member may wish to know that:
	the FCO's overall spend on Information Technology (excluding consultancy and internal staff costs, but including software, equipment and installation) in the last three years was: 2003-04 £13.0 million; 2004-05 £18.7 million; 2005-06 £12.0 million; and
	in June 2005 we signed an Enterprise Agreement with Microsoft providing the products needed for our core strategic systems at a cost of approximately £1.7 million per year. In addition, we have a support agreement for our strategic desktop system costing £601,000 in 2005 and £631,000 in 2006.

Departmental Fixed Assets

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which fixed assets her Department sold for more than £10,000 in  (a) 2004-05 and  (b) 2005-06; and what the (i) sale value, (ii) purchaser and (iii) date of sale was of each asset.

Geoff Hoon: The details of property assets disposals for 2004-05, and property and vehicle disposals for 2005-06, are contained in the following tables. Where applicable, figures have been rounded to the nearest £000. Each property was sold individually, with the majority purchased by private individuals. Details on the purchaser can be provided only at disproportionate cost. The information for vehicles sold in 2004-05 has been archived following the conclusion of the 2005-06 audit, and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Property disposal 2004-05 
			  Date of sale  Post  Type of Asset  Gross sales receipt (£) 
			 21 April 2004 Budapest Residential 139,000 
			 29 April 2004 The Hague Residential 154,000 
			 7 May 2004 Budapest Residential 155,000 
			 7 May 2004 Port Louis Residential 77,000 
			 18 May 2004 San Salvador Office 940,000 
			 30 June 2004 Tunis Site 1,076,000 
			 5 July 2004 Santiago Residential 424,000 
			 9 July 2004 Santiago Residential 46,000 
			 15 July 2004 Buenos Aires Residential 107,000 
			 19 July 2004 Buenos Aires Residential 370,000 
			 28 July 2004 Canberra Residential 856,000 
			 28 July 2004 Kuala Lumpur Residential 203,000 
			 29 July2004 Budapest Residential 4,000 
			 3 August 2004 Bucharest Residential 1,059,000 
			 22 September 2004 Kampala Site 14,000 
			 12 October 2004 Kiev Residential 69,000 
			 21 October 2004 Vienna Residential 807,000 
			 29 October 2004 Tashkent Residential 19,000 
			 11 Nov ember 2004 Dublin Residential 524,000 
			 15 November 2004 Tel Aviv Residential 725,000 
			 8 December 2004 Lusaka Office 223,000 
			 10 December 2004 Caracas Office 763,000 
			 13 December 2004 San Salvador Residence 215,000 
			 15 December 2004 Pretoria Residential 69,000 
			 17 December 2004 Lusaka Residential 120,000 
			 30 December 2004 Beirut Amenity 373,000 
			 4 January 2005 Copenhagen Residential 661,000 
			 6 January 2005 Wellington Residential 128,000 
			 23 March 2005 St. Georges Residence 254,000 
		
	
	
		
			  Property disposal 2005-06 
			  Date of sale  Post  Type of asset  Gross sales receipt (£) 
			 30 May 2005 Brisbane Residential 160,000 
			 8 June 2005 Helsinki Residential 208,000 
			 20 June 2005 Bratislava Residential 383,000 
			 29 September 2005 Lisbon Residential 800,000 
			 11 November 2005 Antananarivo Residence 265,000 
			 11 November 2005 Auckland Consulate-General (CG) Residence 659,000 
			 23 November 2005 Brussels Residential 477,000 
			 16 December 2005 Dublin Residential 905,000 
			 23 December 2005 Brisbane CG Residence 376,000 
			 4 January 2006 Perth Residential 490,000 
			 10 January 2006 Stockholm Residential 474,000 
			 13 January 2006 Port Vila Residential 175,000 
			 13 January 2006 Port Vila Residential 255,000 
			 20 January 2006 Helsinki Residential 234,000 
			 24 January 2006 Asuncion Residence 187,000 
			 25 January 2006 Dublin Residential 1,079,000 
			 31 January 2006 London Site 8,125,000 
			 21 February 2006 Santiago Residential 731,000 
			 22 February 2006 Nuku'alofa Compound (incl. Residence and Office) 29,000 
			 15 March 2006 Lima Office 56,000 
			 29 March 2006 Perth Residence 676,000 
			 29 March 2006 Tel Aviv Residential (1)885,000 
			 30 March 2006 Istanbul Compound 286,000 
			 (1) Figure represents 60 per cent. deposit received—the balance is due in financial year 2006-07. 
		
	
	
		
			  Vehicle disposals 2005-06( 1) 
			  Date of sale  Post  Type of asset  Gross sales receipt (£) 
			 30 April 2005 Madrid Jaguar Xj8 12,034.75 
			 31 July 2005 Brasilia Discovery V8i 12,923.32 
			 31 July 2005 Abidjan Jaguar F 10,292.58 
			 31 October 2005 Harare Jaguar S 17,351.47 
			 31 October 2005 Seoul Daimler V8 13,816.64 
			 31 October 2005 Harare Toyota Prado 12,724.41 
			 31 October 2005 Yaounde Freelander 12,134.83 
			 31 October 2005 Accra Range Rover 12,058.82 
			 1 January 2006 Brisbane Jaguar Sovereign 25,920.82 
			 1 January 2006 Port Vila Toyota Prado 17,000.67 
			 1 January 2006 Asuncion Range Rover 15,901.84 
			 1 January 2006 Kingston Discovery 11,334.89 
			 1 February 2006 Asuncion Discovery 13,263.16 
			 (1) The date of sale and the identity of the purchaser are not held centrally, the dates given in the table are the dates the transactions were registered on the fixed assets register.

EU Constitution

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response she has made to the German Chancellor's recent statement on implementation of a constitution for the European Union.

Geoff Hoon: The Government pays close attention to statements by Chancellor Merkel as current President of the European Council. There is at present no consensus among EU member states on the future of the Constitutional Treaty. On the basis of extensive consultations with member states, the German Presidency will present a report on the state of discussion with regard to the Constitutional Treaty, and possible future developments, to the June European Council. We have every confidence that Chancellor Merkel will seek to find a consensus among member states. The Government's approach to these discussions was set out in my written ministerial statement of 5 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 10-11WS.

Nuclear Transfers

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when  (a) the transfer of heavy water and  (b) the supply of (i) plutonium, (ii) uranium-235, (iii) beryllium and (iv) lithium-6 to Israel via Norway ceased.

Kim Howells: In 1958 the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) agreed to transfer back to Norway control of 25 tons of heavy water—11.5 tons of which was in the UK at the time. This was surplus stock that the UKAEA no longer required. By 1961, the Government became increasingly concerned about its end use; and therefore refused to help facilitate any further shipments of heavy water to Israel.
	We are not aware of any supply of plutonium, uranium-235, beryllium or lithium-6 from the UK to Israel via Norway.

Overseas Territories: Police Inspections

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when each police force in each Overseas Territory was subject to inspection by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary in the past 10 years; what the level of inspection was in each case; and if she will place in the Library copies of each report.

Geoff Hoon: Although there is no statutory requirement for Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) to undertake inspections of Overseas Territories' Police Forces, as they are non-Home Office forces, during the last ten years HMIC has undertaken inspections in Gibraltar (full inspections in 2002 and 2003 followed by Baseline Assessments in 2005 and 2006), Bermuda (full inspection in 2003), the Cayman Islands (full inspection in 2002) and the Sovereign Base Areas of Cyprus (full inspections in 1997 and 2001 and Baseline Assessment in 2005). As these inspections were by invitation of the Governor and Overseas Territory Government concerned, the reports were not published by HMIC, although some have been published locally.
	We will consult with Territory governments about placing copies of the locally published reports in the Library of the House.

Overseas Territories: Regiments

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria are used to determine the  (a) pay structure and  (b) revisions to the pay structure of soldiers in (i) the Royal Gibraltar Regiment, (ii) the Royal Bermuda Regiment and (iii) military units of other Overseas Territories; what the (A) rates of pay and (B) conditions are of (1) soldiers in those regiments and (2) soldiers in the UK armed forces at equivalent ranks; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: Pay rates for UK service personnel are recommended by the independent Armed Forces' Pay Review Body (AFPRB), which reports annually to my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Defence Secretary. The AFPRB bases its recommendations on broad comparability with the pay of civilian occupations of similar job weight and responsibility within the UK. To this basic pay is then added an additional element called the "X-factor" (currently 13 per cent. of basic pay). This adjustment to military pay is recommended by the AFPRB in recognition of the differences between conditions of service experienced by members of the UK armed forces over a full career and conditions in UK civilian life, which cannot be taken directly into account in assessing pay comparability. The "X-factor" is paid to service personnel (up to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and equivalent at the mid pay point, beyond which it tapers) throughout their service careers—regardless of where they are serving—and is pensionable.
	The 13 per cent. "X-factor" is for regular personnel and some reservists, particularly those who are mobilised. The majority of reservists, however, receive 5 per cent. or 0 per cent. "X-factor" reflecting the different levels of commitment from those of regular personnel.
	All UK service personnel are on Pay 2000, an incremental structure designed to recognise performance, length of service, and qualifications. In the case of other ranks there are two pay spines—higher and lower—and personnel are allocated to them according to their trade and rank.
	Basic pay is part of a wider remuneration package payable to service personnel which includes specialist pay e.g. flying pay or parachute pay, to recruit and retain personnel in specific branches or arms within the services. Various allowances are also payable, such as a separation allowance, to compensate personnel for time away from their permanent base and separation from their families.
	Members of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment (RGR) are on the same pay structure as UK regular forces, but with a lower level of "X-factor", 5 per cent., to reflect their different level of commitment. RGR reservists receive an "X-factor" of 2.5 per cent. Where members of the RGR volunteer for service with UK regular forces, however, they receive the same remuneration package as their UK counterparts. Pay rates for the Regiment are adjusted annually by the Ministry of Defence in accordance with the increases recommended by the AFPRB. The RGR is paid for by the UK Government.
	The criteria used to determine the pay structure and revisions to the pay structure, and the conditions of service for the Bermuda Regiment, and the Falkland Islands Defence Force are a matter for the Governments of those Overseas Territories in accordance with their delegated responsibilities. They are not funded by the Government.
	The Overseas Territories' military units exist primarily for local defence, whereas the UK armed forces have an expectation of worldwide service. The respective conditions of service of these organisations will therefore be tailored accordingly.
	As the information requested on pay scales is lengthy, it has been placed in the Library of the House.

Serbia

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on the elections in Serbia and their implications for the process leading to Serbia's possible accession to the EU.

Geoff Hoon: Foreign Ministers discussed the 21 January Serbian elections at the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) meeting on 22 January in Brussels. The Council welcomed the peaceful and orderly conduct of the elections and took note of the preliminary election results which indicated a clear majority for reform orientated political parties.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I regularly discuss Serbia's EU perspective with EU counterparts. The January GAERC called for the speedy formation of a Government committed to Serbia's European course and prepared to tackle the challenges ahead in a spirit of constructive co-operation with the international community. As underlined by the December 2006 European Council, Serbia needs to accelerate efforts to meet the necessary conditions, notably full co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

Venezuela

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether her Department has made an assessment of the possible effect on freedom of the press in Venezuela of the decision of the Venezuelan Government not to renew broadcast licences for television stations.

Geoff Hoon: It is important that decisions of this kind follow established procedure and clear legal guidelines and do not unlawfully impinge on the independent media's right to express their opinions freely. The legal position surrounding the Venezuelan Government's stated decision not to renew the licence of Radio Caracas Television is unclear, but widespread concerns have been expressed about its impact on the media's future scope to operate free from Government pressure or censorship. We hope that the Venezuelan Government will work to ensure that press freedom is fully protected.

DEFENCE

"The Commercial Use of Public Information"

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his Department's response to the Office of Fair Trading's report "The Commercial Use of Public Information".

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not intend to submit a formal response to the Office of Fair Trading's report, "The Commercial Use of Public Information". However MOD have been assisting the Department of Trade and Industry who will be providing the Government response to the report.

Afghanistan

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the Memorandum of Understanding on the logistical support to the Estonian company participating in the International Security Assistance Force mission within the British Task Force.

Des Browne: After consultation with the Estonian Government regarding the release of these documents, I am releasing the main text of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). I will place a copy in the Library of the House.
	The annex of the MoU has, however, been withheld because release of this information is liable to prejudice relations between the UK and another state.

Afghanistan

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the rules of engagement in Afghanistan are for retaliation by the armed forces against mortar and rocket attack.

Des Browne: Rules of Engagement detail the levels of permissiveness for the application of force in all environments across a wide range of activities in which our forces may be employed. Profiles do not constrain the inherent right of self-defence, and neither do they provide detailed tactical instructions to commanders.
	Our Rules of Engagement entitle our forces to take reasonable and necessary action in self-defence in response to mortar and rocket attack. The commander in situ would use his military judgment to determine what would be the most appropriate means to counter the attack at the time.
	In order to safeguard the security of our armed forces on operations, it is MOD policy not to comment on specific operational profiles or the rules therein.

Aldermaston

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what groundwater contamination remedial measures have been necessary as a result of the Laser building project at AWE Aldermaston; and what the cost was of such measures.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 14 February 2006,  Official Report, column 1891W, by my right hon. Friend the Member for Airdrie and Shotts (John Reid). Since construction work commenced on the Orion laser building project, no remediation work has been required.

Ammunition

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 22 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1555W, on ammunition 
	(1)  what security arrangement are in place for consignments which are held or stored on the contractor's property for periods that do not exceed 48 hours;
	(2)  what steps he plans to take in response to the recent break-in at Didcot Parkway Station.

Adam Ingram: The range of security measures used to protect MOD munitions while temporarily held on the contractor's property is the same for all periods of time. These measures include notification to the British Transport Police and regular checks of the train by the contractor's personnel.
	The MOD and its rail freight contractor English, Welsh and Scottish (EWS) Railway Limited have launched an urgent joint review into security arrangements at all rail yards and sidings used to hold MOD trains following the incident on 12 January 2007.

Army Personnel: Benefits

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what benefits are provided for servicemen in the British Army in addition to wages.

Adam Ingram: Army personnel receive a wide remuneration package, which in addition to their basic pay, includes specialist pay, for example, Flying Pay or Parachute Pay, to recruit and retain them in specific branches or arms within the service. Various allowances are also payable covering:
	Accommodation
	Subsistence and messing
	Travel
	Separation
	Location
	Relocation
	Clothing
	Education
	Compensation and reimbursement.
	Apart from their pay and allowances there are also other benefits that Army personnel derive from being members of the armed forces namely:
	Free medical and dental care;
	30 days annual leave;
	Sports facilities and adventurous training;
	Subsidised accommodation;
	Family support ranging from the provision of service children's education schools, for families based overseas, to information and community centres;
	A resettlement package for personnel about to leave the service The Operational Welfare Package—a package of entitlements provided to personnel in certain operational theatres;
	Discounted rail travel for service personnel and their families for off-duty journeys;
	British Forces Post Office—allows service personnel and their families to send mail to and from overseas at UK postage rates;
	Forces discount brochure, which lists commercial providers who offer marginally preferential terms to service personnel.

Army Personnel: Salaries

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average annual pay is for  (a) a private,  (b) a captain,  (c) a major,  (d) a lieutenant colonel and  (e) a colonel in the British army.

Adam Ingram: The annual pay rates for a private, a captain, a major, a lieutenant colonel and a colonel in the British army for 2006-07 are tabled as follows:
	
		
			  Rank  Rate of pay (£) 
			 Private 14,323 to 23,535 
			 Captain 33,795 to 40,190 
			 Major 42,570 to 50,983 
			 Lieutenant Colonel 59,747 to 66,047 
			 Colonel 69,189 to 76,471 
		
	
	The rates quoted are for basic pay which is paid in accordance with an individual's rank, length of service and, in the case of other ranks, trade. They therefore exclude specialist pay, paid to recruit and retain personnel in specific arms/branches of the Army, or any compensatory allowances.

Biodiesel

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much biodiesel was used by his Department in the last period for which figures are available; and at what cost.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 30 January 2007
	All diesel fuel purchased by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) for use in military vehicles and equipment may contain up to 5 per cent. biofuel, in accordance with EU Directive 2003717/EEC. Fuels are obtained in numerous consignments from a wide variety of sources and locations and there is no requirement for MOD to record exactly what proportion of biofuel each supplier uses. The cost of biofuels is therefore not available.

British Food

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of food served  (a) in buildings occupied by his Department and  (b) to UK armed forces personnel was of British origin in (i) 2005 and (ii) 2006.

Adam Ingram: Information on the proportion of food served of British origin in non-military catering establishments within the Department is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Food Supply Contractor procures approximately 1,200 different products for the UK armed forces. The percentage of UK-produced goods changes regularly as a result of seasonality, value for money incentives, changes to the product specification and supplier. Some products are manufactured using a number of ingredients, others, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, are sourced seasonally from a variety of countries. The information requested is not therefore available.
	It is, however, possible to be specific about the proportion of meat sourced from British farms under this arrangement. In financial year 2005-06 under the previous Food Supply Contract 42 per cent. of beef, 100 per cent. of pork and 5 per cent. of the lamb supplied was of British origin. Under the new food supply contract which commenced in October 2006, 55 per cent. of, beef, 100 per cent. of pork and 3 per cent. of lamb by volume has been procured from British farms to date.

Civilian Prisoners: Compensation

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether members of the Indian Army are eligible to claim under the scheme for compensation for British civilian prisoners of the Japanese.

Adam Ingram: Former members of the Indian Army who were held as prisoners of war by the Japanese may be eligible for payment under the UK's Ex Gratia Scheme for former Far East Prisoners of War and civilian internees. To qualify, claimants must have met the following criteria:
	been British at the time they were held;
	have remained as members of the Indian Army throughout their captivity; and either
	have received payments under article 16 of the 1951 Treaty of Peace with Japan under the auspices of the British Government; or
	have been a citizen of a country that did not make its own treaty arrangements with Japan after WWII; or
	have counted as being resident in the UK (or, after 1 November 1993, in another European Union member state) for at least 20 years between 1 January 1945 and 7 November 2000.
	The legality of the final criterion is currently the subject of a case before the Court of Appeal.

Civilian Prisoners: Compensation

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons he decided to apply a 20 year rule for connection with the UK on his scheme for compensation of British civilians of the Japanese.

Adam Ingram: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 24 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1775W, by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Defence.

Cluster Munitions

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress the Government have made in phasing out their stockpiles of dumb cluster munitions; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Next month we expect to place a contract to enable disposal of 50 per cent. of the Multiple Launch Rocket System M26 stockpile over the next three years. It is envisaged that this munition will be removed completely by 2013 as new capabilities are introduced. A contract for the disposal of a significant quantity of the remaining BL755 and RBL755 cluster bombs was placed on 22 January 2007. Similarly, it is envisaged that these munitions will be completely phased out by the end of 2010, as the new capabilities are introduced.

Correspondence

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will write to the hon. Member for Forest of Dean as promised in the answers of  (a) 2 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 641-42W, on naval longevity tables,  (b) 1 November 2006,  Official Report, column 432W, on trained strength outflow,  (c) 1 November 2006,  Official Report, column 431W, on resettlement provision and  (d) 24 October 2006,  Official Report, column 1730W, on departmental accounts.

Derek Twigg: I wrote to the hon. Member on 16 January 2007 about trained strength outflow and resettlement provision. My right hon. Friend the Minister of State for the armed forces wrote to the hon. Member on 18 January about naval longevity tables and on 29 January about departmental accounts. Copies of all letters were placed in the Library of the House.

Defence Budget

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the defence budget was for each year between 1987 and 2007.

Adam Ingram: Since 1998, defence spending plans have been set as part of the Government's Spending Review process. Prior to this, spending plans were set on an annual basis. The defence budget, drawn from the outcome of these reviews, is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Defence budget (£ billion) 
			 1986-87 18.5 
			 1987-88 18.8 
			 1988-89 19.2 
			 1989-90 20.1 
			 1990-91 21.2 
			 1991-92 22.8 
			 1992-93 24.2 
			 1993-94 23.5 
			 1994-95 23.5 
			 1995-96 21.7 
			 1996-97 21.4 
			 1997-98 21.8 
			 1998-99 22.2 
			 1999-2000 22.3 
			 2000-01 23.0 
			 2001-02 23.6 
			 2002-03 29.3 
			 2003-04 30.9 
			 2004-05 29.7 
			 2005-06 30.9 
			 2006-07 32.1 
			 2007-08 33.5 
		
	
	The Government accounting process has changed progressively over this period due to the introduction of Resource Accounting and Budgeting. The terms in which these budgets were set are therefore not directly comparable.

Departmental Property

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was raised through the sale of his Department's property in 2005-06.

Adam Ingram: In 2005-06, proceeds from the disposal of surplus land and property amounted to some £258 million.

Departmental Staff

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which  (a) independent and  (b) maintained educational institutions accommodate pupils and students receiving the boarding school allowance granted to employees of his Department; how many pupils at each institution received the allowance in each of the last three years for which figures are available and at what cost; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The information requested is as follows:
	 Children of service personnel
	The children of service personnel who benefit from service education allowances attend a considerable number of educational establishments. A list of those educational establishments that accommodated children of service personnel in receipt of education allowances in academic years 2005-06 and 2006-07 has been placed in the Library of the House. The figures were completed as at the spring term for both of these years. The Department does not have these details for 2004-05.
	The cost of education allowances in the past three years is as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2003-04 86.4 
			 2004-05 90.7 
			 2005-06 93.6 
		
	
	The estimated cost for 2006-07 is £100 million.
	The Ministry of Defence records the number of service claimants, the number of children benefiting from service education allowances and the educational establishments they attend. The Department does not have figures that identify the cumulative value of service education allowances which, via service claimants, benefit each individual educational establishment. Also, the number of service children benefiting from education allowances does not indicate the number of service claimants, as one service parent might claim for one or more children.
	 Children of civil service personnel
	Eligible Ministry of Defence civil servants can claim a tax free schooling allowance for children attending fee paying schools overseas or at independent schools in the UK. The annual cost in the UK for 2005-06 is around £1.1 million. However, as claims for the allowance overseas are reimbursed by local budgets, there is no central record of such costs and the total figure could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	As with the services, the number of children of civil servants benefiting from schooling allowances does not indicate the number of civil servant claimants, as one parent may claim for one or more children. The figure is estimated to be in the region of 100 children.

Firearms: Theft

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many firearms were stolen from the armed forces in each of the last 10 years; what the value was of the firearms stolen; and what measures were taken to recover them.

Adam Ingram: The totals of firearms recorded as stolen from the armed forces in each of the last 10 years are given in the following table. The data covers firearms stolen on a global basis, including operational theatres overseas, and private firearms lodged in MOD armouries. The total value of the stolen firearms could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The theft of any firearm is taken very seriously and is fully investigated by the police. The police undertaking the investigation may, depending on the circumstances of the theft, be the Service police, Ministry of Defence police or a Home Department police force, often working jointly. While there has been a total of 169 firearms stolen over the period 1997-2006, 39 of these have been recovered.
	
		
			   Number of firearms stolen 
			 1997 8 
			 1998 15 
			 1999 14 
			 2000 52 
			 2001 8 
			 2002 22 
			 2003 4 
			 2004 28 
			 2005 25 
			 2006 13 
			 Total 169

Future Carrier Project

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the status is of the Future Carrier joint-venture project with the French Government; how much money has been spent by each Government on the project; whether progress has been made in line with expected time frames; what the expected in-service date is for the first carrier; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 30 January 2007
	I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave on 6 February 2006,  Official Report, column 824W, to the hon. Member for Wellingborough (Mr. Bone), which explains the financial contribution made by France.
	Up to 31 December 2006, the UK has spent £411 million on the Future Aircraft Carrier (CVF) Project. This comprises £4 million on the concept phase, £300 million on the assessment phase and £107 million on the demonstration phase.
	This work has produced a Common Baseline Design that both UK and France can use to develop and build their own carriers. Our co-operation with France will bring savings in design costs, and offers the potential of savings on manufacture and support. It will be up to UK and French industry to make the most of the opportunities provided by this commonality during the next phase of the respective programmes.
	Good progress is being made on the CVF demonstration phase work, which is aimed at maturing the risks, costs and the contractual framework for building the carriers. The culmination of this work will enable us to agree a robust, affordable deal and take a decision to commit to manufacture. It is at this stage that the in-service dates will be announced.

Helicopters

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department plans to purchase CH-146 Griffon helicopters.

Adam Ingram: The Department has no plans to purchase CH-146 Griffon helicopters.

Helicopters

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what functions Bell Griffin HAR2 helicopters are performing in Cyprus.

Adam Ingram: The Bell Griffin HAR2 helicopters in Cyprus are used in a variety of roles, including Search and Rescue, medical evacuation, support to fire fighting missions, and support to operations; in 2006, they also helped to maintain the airbridge commitment for Operation Highbrow, the operation to evacuate UK and other entitled personnel from the Lebanon, by flying numerous sorties to and from Beirut.

Hydrographic Office

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to announce the future location of the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office.

Adam Ingram: A decision on the future location of the UK Hydrographic Office will be taken in due course.

Iraq

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) 16,  (b) 17 and  (c) 18-year-olds have served in Iraq, broken down by gender.

Adam Ingram: Data on the age and sex of service personnel deployed on operations are not held centrally.
	Provisional estimates collated from manual records show that no 16-year-old and fifteen 17-year-old personnel have been deployed to Iraq since the "Optional Protocol to the Convention on the rights of the child on the involvement of children in armed conflict" was ratified on 24 June 2003. None have been deployed since July 2005.
	Fewer than five of the 17-year-old personnel deployed were female.
	The vast majority of those that were deployed were within one week of their 18th birthdays or were removed from theatre within a week of their arrival. Fewer than five 17-year-olds were deployed for a period of greater than three weeks.
	New administrative guidelines and procedures have been introduced by each of the Services following the ratification of the Optional Protocol to ensure that under 18-year-old personnel are not deployed to areas where hostilities are taking place unless there is a clear operational requirement for them to do so. Unfortunately, these processes are not infallible and the pressures on units prior to deployment have meant that there have been a small number of instances where soldiers have been inadvertently deployed to Iraq before their 18th birthday, as described above.
	Figures on those aged 18 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	All numbers are rounded to the nearest five.

Joint Strike Fighter

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list those critical British technologies whose transfer to the United States has been authorised by the Government in connection with the Joint Strike Fighter.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 18 December 2006
	We have agreed the release of the technologies necessary to ensure the success of this collaborative programme. This includes technology in the fields of take-off and landing, flight control, engine and lift fan, ejection seat, simulators and weapon systems.

Menwith Hill: Security Costs

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much the US authorities contributed towards the cost of security on the roads around Menwith Hill in each year since 2000.

Derek Twigg: The American authorities have contributed the following amounts towards the cost of security on the roads around Menwith Hill since 2003:
	
		
			  Financial year  £ 
			 2003-04 531,000 
			 2004-05 560,000 
			 2005-06 608,000 
		
	
	Figures are not available for the period 2000-03.

Military Equipment: Imports

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the value of imports of military defence and security-related equipment to the UK has been over the last five years, broken down by country.

Adam Ingram: I will place a copy of the data giving the value of imports of defence equipment broken down by country, for the last five years, in the Library of the House. The data are consistent with those published by the Defence Analytical Services Agency in Table 1.11 of UK Defence Statistics 2006, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
	Data are based on HM Revenue and Customs information relating to defence equipment reported to UK Customs. Defence equipment is identified by an agreed set of tariff codes intended to capture the movement of military equipment.

Nancekuke Site

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans his Department has to develop his Department's site at Nancekuke; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The site at Nancekuke is known as Remote Radar Head (RRH) Portreath. There is an MOD project on the site to remediate land used to dispose of decommissioned plant and material from a chemical defence establishment.
	There are currently no plans to change the role of RRH Portreath or develop any part of the site.

Nuclear Weapons

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the use of nuclear weapons on climate change.

Des Browne: We have monitored discussion in the academic arena on the possible effects of a large scale nuclear exchange on the world's climate but we have not undertaken any such assessments ourselves. Most recently, a study was presented to the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union in December 2006 on the subject. This found that even a small scale regional nuclear war could disrupt the global climate for a decade or more.

Porton Down

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the nature is of the biological research  (a) being undertaken and  (b) planned to be undertaken at Porton Down; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) defence research being conducted by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) at Porton Down is directed towards helping the UK achieve its policy aim of maintaining political and military freedom of action, despite the presence, threat or use of CBRN weapons.
	The current nature of the biological research is summarised under the headings of Hazard Assessment, Detection and Diagnostics, and Medical Counter-measures in the UK annual Confidence Building Measures returns to the United Nations. These returns are submitted by the UK in accordance with the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention.
	The returns for 2003 to 2005 can be found on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1065432161527.
	The return for 2006 is currently being collated for submission to the UN in April and will be available on the website in due course.
	Future directions in CBRN research are set out in the recently published Defence Technology Strategy which can be found on the Ministry of Defence website at:
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/DefencePolicyAndBusiness/LordDraysonLaunchesDefenceTechnologyStrategy.htm.
	Copies are also available in the Library of the House.

Recruitment

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of recruits for  (a) the Royal Navy,  (b) the Army and  (c) the Royal Air Force passed their basic training to become operationally available in each of the last five years.

Adam Ingram: The following tables provide the percentages of untrained strength who became trained and those still in training, in each of the last five financial years (2001-02 to 2005-06), by service.
	Percentages are based on the number of Service Personnel who joined the untrained strength during each of the financial years, then subsequently became trained/commissioned at any date up to 31 March 2006 or who are currently still on the untrained strength at 31 March 2006.
	
		
			  Naval service—intake for financial years 2001-02 to 2005-06 
			   Percentage of officers who:  Percentage of other ranks who: 
			   Became trained  Are still on untrained strength  Became trained  Are still on untrained strength 
			 2001-02 76 6 60 2 
			 2002-03 69 12 61 4 
			 2003-04 57 27 62 7 
			 2004-05 31 53 61 9 
			 2005-06 13 78 41 32 
			  Note:  Naval Service comprises Royal Navy and Royal Marines. 
		
	
	
		
			  Army—intake for financial years 2001-02 to 2005-06 
			   Percentage of officers who:  Percentage of other ranks who: 
			   Became trained  Are still on untrained strength  Became trained  Are still on untrained strength 
			 2001-02 83 1 72 0 
			 2002-03 77 7 70 0 
			 2003-04 76 9 69 1 
			 2004-05 87 1 62 5 
			 2005-06 51 38 36 34 
		
	
	
		
			  Royal Air Force-intake for financial years 2001-02 to 2005-06 
			   Percentage of officers who:  Percentage of other ranks who: 
			   Became trained  Are still on untrained strength  Became trained  Are still on untrained strength 
			 2001-02 81 11 85 0 
			 2002-03 68 22 86 0 
			 2003-04 55 37 82 2 
			 2004-05 41 55 74 9 
			 2005-06 8 89 17 70

Secondments

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which organisation is responsible for the  (a) salary and  (b) expenses of each secondee out of his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence will continue to be responsible for the salary of secondees but may seek re-imbursement from the external organisation to which the secondee is appointed. Travel and subsistence costs incurred by the secondee during the period of secondment will be paid by that organisation at the rates applicable to their own staff of equivalent status.

Service Accommodation

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) service family accommodation and  (b) single living accommodation properties in the United Kingdom are (i) standard 1, (ii) standard 2, (iii) standard 3 and (iv) standard 4.

Adam Ingram: There are 49,022 SFA properties in the UK. Of these 2,191 have been identified as no longer required by the Ministry of Defence and will be disposed of in due course. The remainder (46,831) is in the following table:
	
		
			  Service Families Accommodation (SFA). 
			  Standard for Condition  Number SFA  Percentage SFA 
			 1 27,687 59 
			 2 16,916 36 
			 3 2,089 4 
			 4 139 1 
		
	
	As at November 2006 there are 137,282 SLA properties in the UK. The delivery of SLA within the UK is undertaken through a number of contractual arrangements and is assessed by "Grade for Charge" rather than "Standard for Condition". "Grade for Charge" does take into account the condition of the SLA, but also includes scale, environment and the location of SLA as part of its assessment. The "Grade for Charge" for SLA is in the following table.
	
		
			  Single Living Accommodation (SLA) 
			  Grade for Charge  Number SLA  Percentage SLA 
			 1 24,254 18 
			 2 23,261 17 
			 3 22,931 17 
			 4 66,836 48

Service Accommodation

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent on  (a) building and  (b) the upkeep of armed forces' housing in each year since 1996, broken down by service.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 22 January 2007
	The following table gives the expenditure on Service Families Accommodation housing in Great Britain in each year since 2001-02. It is not possible to provide information prior to this date or broken down by Service as this would be at disproportionate cost. Information on expenditure on housing overseas cannot be separately identified except at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			  (a) New building 25.3 25.5 25.2 12.1 28.0 
			  (b) Maintenance 123.0 92.0 103.0 91.6 109.2

Service Accommodation

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what average annual rent a serviceman in the British army paid for accommodation in 2005-06.

Adam Ingram: Accommodation charges are recommended annually by the Armed Forces Pay Review Body (AFPRB) based on broad comparability with costs in the relevant civilian comparators. With effect from 1 April 2005, service personnel occupying Service Families Accommodation in England, Scotland and Wales and Overseas, would normally have paid accommodation charges of between £1.66 and £19.91 per day (depending on the type and grade of the accommodation allocated and furniture status). In addition, they would have paid Contributions in Lieu of Council Tax (CILOCT) of between £2.14 and £4.70 per day. Single personnel occupying Single Living Accommodation (barracks) in the same locations would normally have paid accommodation charges of between £0.46 and £5.10 per day depending on grade and rank, plus CILOCT of between £0.08 and £0.25 per day. Details of charges are contained in the relevant annual Armed Forces Pay Review Body report, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

Trident

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many contributions have been received from  (a) members of the public and  (b) organisations on the consultation on a replacement for Trident.

Des Browne: holding answer 23 January 2007
	The Government received approximately 350 letters, either direct or through MPs, between the announcement of 4 December on the future of the United Kingdom's nuclear deterrent and 18 January. We do not as a matter of routine record whether these letters are from individuals or organisations.

Veterans Badge

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information is available on a constituency basis to identify those people who are entitled to a Veterans Badge but who have yet to claim it; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 30 January 2007
	The Ministry of Defence has insufficient information to make an accurate assessment of the number of people entitled to HM Armed Forces Veterans Lapel Badge but estimate that the total number is around 5 million. This figure cannot be broken down by constituency.

Veterans Badge

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Veterans Badges were issued in each parliamentary constituency in each of the last two years; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 30 January 2007
	The information is not held in a format that identifies how many Veterans Badges have been issued in each parliamentary constituency in each of the last two years and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department where each of the antisocial behaviour co-ordinators are based.

Tony McNulty: Antisocial behaviour co-ordinators are located in each Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership in England and in each Community Safety Partnership in Wales, either within the police or within the local authority, according to each partnership's preference. Their contact details are available through the Respect website:
	www.respect.gov.uk.

Antisocial Behaviour

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of people made subject to an antisocial behaviour order have been convicted of a violent crime within two years of the order being served since the orders were introduced.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 26 January 2007
	The information is not held centrally.

Antisocial Behaviour

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of those served with antisocial behaviour orders were from  (a) Afro-Caribbean,  (b) Asian and  (c) white ethnic backgrounds.

Tony McNulty: Ethnicity is not collected centrally as part of the data collection of antisocial behaviour orders issued.

Community Call to Action

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken to promote the Community Call to Action introduced under the Police and Justice Act 2006.

Tony McNulty: The Police and Justice Act 2006 received Royal Assent on 8 November 2006 and we are considering the steps necessary for implementation.

Community Policing

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of safer neighbourhood teams operate throughout the period between midnight and 6am each night in  (a) England and Wales and  (b) Avon and Somerset.

Vernon Coaker: Statistical information concerning the hours of operation of safer neighbourhood teams, also known as neighbourhood policing teams, is not collated centrally by the Home Office. The availability and working hours of all neighbourhood teams is an operational decision made by the chief constable in each area, as informed by the current needs and priorities of the local community.

Community Policing

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding has been allocated to neighbourhood policing teams in Avon and Somerset for  (a) 2007 and  (b) 2008.

Tony McNulty: In 2006-07 a sum of £5.1 million has been allocated towards the cost of Neighbourhood Policing in Avon and Somerset. We have allocated a sum of £6.8 million in 2007-08.
	The allocation of this funding within the force area is a matter for the chief constable and the police authority.

Community Policing

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many safer neighbourhood teams in England and Wales do not have their full complement of  (a) police officers,  (b) police community support officers,  (c) special constables and  (d) youth workers.

Vernon Coaker: Statistical information detailing the staffing levels of safer neighbourhood teams, also known as neighbourhood policing teams, is not collated centrally by the Home Office.
	There is no national neighbourhood policing model but most teams are a mix of officers, PCSOs and others. The recruitment of staff and deployment of resource is an operational decision for the chief constable in each force. Numbers, staffing mix, skills and powers in each neighbourhood policing team will be decided by the chief constable after an assessment of the needs of the communities they serve.

Community Support Officers

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many community support officers (CSOs) operate within Chorley constituency; how many additional CSOs are due to be deployed within Chorley constituency during the course of 2006-07; and what funding has been provided for these additional support officers.

Tony McNulty: Chorley is part of the southern (C) division of the Lancashire constabulary.
	On 30 June 2006 the southern division had 38 police community support officers (PCSOs). Information on the number of police community support officers in basic command units is collected annually. The deployment of PCSOs to basic command units is an operational matter for the chief constable and within the southern division a matter for the divisional commander.
	Lancashire has a target to reach 417 PCSOs in April 2007. For 2006-07 the sum of £5.8 million has been allocated to the police authority towards the cost of Neighbourhood Policing in Lancashire. We have allocated £7.6 million in 2007-08.

Community Support Officers

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many community support officers he expects to be recruited in West Lancashire in each of the next three years.

Tony McNulty: The Home Office has provided funding though the Neighbourhood Policing Fund to increase the number of PCSOs in Lancashire to 417 in 2007. Lancashire constabulary will not be expected to increase PCSO numbers further, but will determine the scale of their PCSO work force themselves taking account of local circumstances. It is a matter for the chief constable how PCSOs are deployed across the force area.

Crime and Disorder Act 1998

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Department for Education and Skills on the duty of local authorities to consider the implications of all their activities on crime and disorder under section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.

Tony McNulty: In November 2005 the Home Office published the National Community Safety Plan 2006-09, followed by an update in November 2006. The National Community Safety Plan is the mechanism by which central Government Departments consider the implications of their activities, and the activities of the authorities and agencies who deliver their priorities, on crime and disorder. 11 Government Departments contributed to the National Community Safety Plan, including the Department for Education and Skills. Their contributions to the NCSP cover areas of policy which have been discussed between the Home Office and Department for Education and Skills.

Domestic Violence

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Prime Minister's answer of 6 December 2006,  Official Report, column 302, on domestic violence, if he will provide a breakdown of how the £70 million provided to tackle domestic violence has been allocated.

Gerry Sutcliffe: In the last two years, approximately £70 million has been spent on tackling domestic violence. This spending can be broken down as follows.
	In 2005-06, over £59 million of supporting people funding was used to provide housing-related support to victims of domestic violence. In addition to this, the Home Office allocated:
	£3 million to fund local delivery of support to victims of domestic violence and their children;
	£1 million to support the development of the Specialist Domestic Violence Courts Programme;
	£1 million to fund a variety of projects, including a matrix of national domestic violence helplines; and
	£500,000 for a national awareness raising campaign.
	In 2006-07 the Home Office allocated £6 million to tackle domestic violence:
	£3 million to support and improve local delivery on domestic violence for victims of domestic violence and their children;
	£1 million to expand the Specialist Domestic Violence Courts Programme;
	£1 million for Independent Domestic Violence Advisors; and
	£1 million to continue to fund national domestic violence services, including the matrix of helplines.

Domestic Violence

Don Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions have taken place with local authorities in Wales to provide sanctuary schemes through safe rooms in Wales for victims of domestic violence.

Peter Hain: I have been asked to reply.
	Provision in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Assembly Government. The All Wales Domestic Abuse Strategy sets out a framework for the development of local action to combat domestic abuse. It aims to facilitate the development and implementation of a co-ordinated joint agency approach, to improve current service provision and to protect all individuals.
	In addition, the Welsh Assembly Government funds a 24-hour all Wales helpline for victims of domestic abuse.

Domestic Violence

Don Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many local authorities in Wales are taking part in sanctuary schemes for those affected by domestic violence.

Peter Hain: I have been asked to reply.
	The Welsh Assembly Government is aware of one scheme in Wales, in Rhondda Cynon Taff. A number of other authorities are developing schemes aimed at enabling people at risk to remain safely in their own homes. For example, the Safer Cardiff Women's Unit have set up a scheme to improve protection of properties alongside advice and counselling for those at risk.
	Both the UK Government and the Welsh Assembly Government are keen to promote further good practice in this area.

EU Data-sharing System

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether it is Government policy to support the EU initiative on creating an EU data-sharing system.

Joan Ryan: There are a number of EU initiatives to share information. In principle the UK is always keen to share information with EU partners that will add to our ability to protect the public. But it is important to balance this against the need to protect personal privacy and to avoid unnecessary bureaucracy and cost.

Firework Regulations

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fines were issued for breaches of firework regulations in Leicester in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006.

Vernon Coaker: Data from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform show that one person was fined under the Explosives Act 1875, Section 80 for the offence of throwing, casting or firing any fireworks in or into any highway, street, etc public place. Court proceedings data for 2006 will be available in the autumn of 2007.
	Data held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform showing the number of PNDs issued, in England and Wales from 2005 to 2006 (January to June provisional) can be found in the following table.
	In addition, the penalty notice for disorder (PND) scheme was introduced in England and Wales in 2004. Under the scheme, the police can issue an 80 fixed penalty for a number of fireworks offences under the Explosives Act 1875 and Fireworks Act 2003. The offence of throwing fireworks in a thoroughfare (Explosives Act) came into force in August 2002: the offences of breach of the fireworks curfew, possession of category four fireworks, and possession by a person under 18 of an adult firework (Fireworks Act) were added to the PND Scheme on 11 October 2004. The following table shows the number of PNDs that were issued in the Leicestershire police force area for 2005 and for January to June 2006 (provisional); complete figures for 2006 will be available in the spring of 2007. We are unable to give the number of PNDs issued in Leicester during the above period, as data are not collected to that level of detail.
	
		
			  Number of Penalty Notices for Disorder (PND) issued for firework offences in Leicestershire police force area, 2005-06( 1) 
			   Throwing fireworks  Breach of fireworks curfew  Possession of a Category 4 firework  Possession by under 18 of adult firework 
			 2005 1 (2)— (2)— 1 
			 2006(3) (2)— (2)— (2)— (2)— 
			 Total 1 0 (2)— 1 
			 (1 )Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (2 )Nil (3) Provisional —January to June 2006  Source: RDS Office for Criminal Justice Reform

Hit and Run

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many hit and run incidents where the driver was subsequently identified the driver was found to be  (a) under the influence of (i) alcohol and (ii) drugs,  (b) uninsured and  (c) unlicensed in each of the last five years.

Stephen Ladyman: I have been asked to reply.
	The number of reported hit and run personal injury road accidents police where the driver failed, or refused to provide a breath test in each of the last five years is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Accidents where a hit and run driver failed or refused to provide a breath test, GB 2001-2005 
			   Number of accidents 
			 2001 785 
			 2002 850 
			 2003 824 
			 2004 747 
			 2005 690 
		
	
	However, as 80 per cent. of hit and run drivers were not contactable at the time of the accident to provide a breath test the actual number who would have failed the test may be higher than the numbers given in the table.
	There were 140 accidents involving a hit and run driver where 'Impaired by drugs' was stated as contributory factor in 2005. Contributory factor data were not collected prior to 2005.
	The information requested on unlicensed drivers and unregistered drivers is not available.

Identity Cards

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how his Department will determine who is liable for a civil penalty under sections 10 and 11 of the Identity Cards Act 2006; and which subsection of his Department will be responsible for the administration of those penalties.

Joan Ryan: Any civil penalties will be determined in accordance with sections 31 to 34 of the Identity Cards Act 2006 and, in particular, the Code of Practice on penalties.
	This code will be published and will set out the matters that must be considered when determining whether a civil penalty should be imposed and if so, the amount of the penalty.
	It is currently expected that the Identity & Passport Service will be responsible for the administration of the civil penalty scheme.

Immigration

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the constituent of the hon. Member for Hereford, reference J1105109 will  (a) have her application finalised with the Immigration and Nationality Directorate and  (b) have a national insurance number issued to her; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 16 January 2007
	The information is as follows:
	 (a) I wrote to the hon. Member regarding this matter on 30 January 2007.
	 (b) I am unable to comment on when a national insurance number may be issued to your constituent. This will be a matter for the Department of Work and Pensions in due course.

Justice and Home Affairs Committee

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he next expects to attend a meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Committee of the EU.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The next formal Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council will be held in Brussels on 15 February 2007. The Home Secretary will decide whether to attend closer to the event, once the agenda has been finalised and depending on priorities at the time. Should the Home Secretary be unable to attend this JHA Council or any other, another Home Office Minister would attend on his behalf.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment his Department has made of the merits of the use of magnetic resonance imaging as a tool in criminal investigations.

Joan Ryan: Magnetic resonance imaging was tried for explosives detection in suitcases about 10 years ago. It was found to lack specificity when compared with other techniques. The need for high magnetic fields and problems with commonly occurring metals also mitigated against its use. More recently, MRI has been looked at to examine liquid explosives. This system used the Earth's field and was consequently very slow in its operation. An analogous technique, quadrupole resonance analysis, has been developed for detecting explosives containing nitrogen and systems are available commercially.
	Additionally, magnetic resonance imaging is currently being considered as an alternative to using a polygraph, or, more probably, to use MRI scanning as an input to a polygraph to detect deception. Home Office scientists will be visiting King's College London shortly to discuss the possibility of using MRI in this role.

National Identity Scheme

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  pursuant to the publication of the Strategic Action Plan for the National Identity Scheme, what quality assurance checks will be conducted on data held in existing databases which will form part of the National Identity Register;
	(2)  whether data forming part of the National Identity Register will be drawn from data held on existing databases.

Joan Ryan: An individual's National Identity Register record will be created afresh, on the basis of an application for registration. This could be by way of an application for a designated document such as a passport or an immigration document.
	Even though the register will include identity information of the kind that may already be held on existing Government IT systems, this information will not simply be copied to the National Identity Register. Information will be verified to the highest possible standard before being recorded on the register itself.
	In accordance with Section 9 of the Identity Cards Act, information submitted for registration will be verified against information held on a number of other databases as part of a series of checks to confirm the authenticity of the identity claimed in the application. An assessment will be made to identify the quality of the data on the potential sources for use in such checks.

North Wales Police

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will conduct an inquiry into the Firearms Department of North Wales Police following the convictions for firearms offences of Martin Wynn Davies, William Charles Hughes and Neil Smith.

Tony McNulty: It is for Her Majesty's inspectorate of constabulary to conduct detailed examinations of provincial police forces in England and Wales and to determine whether standards are being achieved and maintained.

Police

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the  (a) average and  (b) target response time is for police attendance at the scene of an incident following a 999 call.

Tony McNulty: This is an operational matter for the chief constable of each force.

Police

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cautions were issued by police in Essex in 2006, broken down by offence for which the caution was issued.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Data on the number of cautions issued in 2006 will be available in autumn 2007.

Police

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what standards are set out for kennelling facilities at police stations in England and Wales; and which body is responsible for ensuring that such standards are met.

Tony McNulty: Police dogs are generally kennelled by their individual dog handler to the standards set by each police force. While central standards are not set for police kennelling facilities, police forces follow local authority guidance and animal welfare standards.

Police

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police stations in England and Wales have kennelling facilities; and which of these are open to accept dogs 24 hours a day.

Tony McNulty: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Police

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints there were against  (a) police officers,  (b) police community support officers and  (c) civilian staff employed by the police in each year since 2004.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 30 January 2007
	The Independent Police Complaints Commission is an independent body responsible for the management of the police complaints system. I will ensure that the chairman receives a copy of the question and replies to the hon. Gentleman directly. Copies of the letter containing the IPCC's response will be placed in the House Libraries.

Police Cells

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cells there were in police stations in each force in England and Wales in each year since 1996; and how many were available for use in each year.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 23 January 2007
	This information is not held centrally.

Preferred Suppliers

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many preferred suppliers his Department has; how many such suppliers provide goods or services to the Prison Service; what checks are carried out on putative preferred suppliers to ensure the quality and reliability of their services; what criteria companies and sole traders have to meet in order to become preferred suppliers; and for how long the status of preferred supplier lasts.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Prison Service does not hold a preferred suppliers list. All procurement activity is conducted in accordance with the EU Public Procurement Directive.

Prison Service

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether steps are taken during the recruitment process for  (a) staff,  (b) officers and  (c) governors of HM Prison Service to establish whether Prison Service job applicants are members of extreme right-wing organisations; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: All new members of staff are required to sign a declaration as part of the recruitment process that they are not members of any groups or organisations with racist philosophy, aims, principles or policies.

Prisoners Release

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 23 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1690W, on early release scheme, what definition of early release schemes he used in responding to parliamentary question 104193.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Further to question 104193, the early release scheme for which data was given related to the Home Detention Curfew Scheme. This is one of two discretionary early release schemes for domestic prisoners serving a determinate sentence, the other being release on parole licence (in respect of prisoners sentenced to four years and over under the provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 1991).

Prüm Treaty

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions his Department  (a) has had and  (b) plans to have with EU partners on the implementation of the Prüm Treaty.

Joan Ryan: The information requested is as follows.
	 (a) There have been a number of informal discussions with EU partners about the implementation of the Prüm Convention at official and Ministerial level over the last 12-18 months, including at the Informal Justice and Home Affairs meeting in Dresden on 15 January.
	 (b) The German Presidency of the EU are proposing the transposition of all or part of the Prüm Convention into EU law. The Government intend to take a full and active part in the ensuing negotiations.

Serious Crime Bill (HL) 2006-07

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whom he consulted on the compatibility of the Serious Crime Bill with the European Convention on Human Rights before 17 January.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 31 January 2007
	The Serious Crime Bill was introduced into the House of Lords on the 16 January 2007. A Section 19(1)(a) statement of compatibility with the Human Rights Act, signed by my colleague the right hon. Baroness Scotland of Asthal, was presented to the House Authorities to accompany the Bill. This statement of compatibility confirms that the Minister believes that the provisions within the Serious Crime Bill are compatible with convention rights. The explanatory notes for the Bill also include analysis of the provisions with reference to the European Convention on Human Rights.
	The majority of measures within the Bill were included in a recent Home Office consultation paper 'New Powers Against Organised and Financial Crime'. The public consultation period ran from July 2006 to October 2006. The Department received more than 110 responses during that period from a range of individuals and organisations including law enforcement agencies, non-Governmental organisations, the judiciary, representatives of the banking and financial sectors and local authorities.

Serious Organised Crime Agency

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the ability of the Serious Organised Crime Agency to tackle level 2 crime.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 31 January 2007
	The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) has been established to reduce the harm caused to the UK by serious organised crime. Its priorities, set by the Home Secretary, are Class A drugs trafficking and organised immigration crime, but it also devotes effort to other organised crime threats, including fraud against individuals and the private sector, hi-tech crime, counterfeiting, the use of firearms and serious robbery.
	In terms of the National Intelligence Model (NIM), SOCA will concentrate its efforts at Level 3 criminality (usually operating on a national and international scale). However, to be effective in reducing harm, it will need to collaborate with and support the efforts of other agencies, including police forces.
	SOCA supports police forces operationally in a variety of ways that bear on Level 2 criminality. For example, it provides expert advice and resources in cases of kidnap and extortion, sensitive technical support and a 'flagging' service that ensures that forces do not compromise one another's operations.

Serious Organised Crime Agency

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether Sir Stephen Lander, chairman of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), has made statements to  (a) The Guardian and  (b) The Observer newspapers on operational deployment of SOCA agents to Colombia; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: Comments made by the chair or director general of the Serious Organised Crime Agency around the time of its launch last year relate to matters within their operational discretion. However, the Government strongly support the work that the agency is doing to counter the drug threat with international partners in Columbia and elsewhere.

Serious Organised Crime Agency

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Serious Organised Crime Agency staff have requested to return to their agencies of origin since 2 April 2006.

Vernon Coaker: Since the inception of SOCA, 72 directly employed staff have left the organisation, equating to an annual turnover rate in the order of 2.4 per cent. Of these 54 resigned to take up employment elsewhere. SOCA do not keep records on whether leaving staff have rejoined the agency they were employed with before SOCA.

Serious Organised Crime Agency: Northern Ireland

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Northern Ireland Executive will have political responsibility for the Serious Organised Crime Agency in Northern Ireland after the devolution of policing and criminal justice.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 30 January 2007
	SOCA is a national agency. Should the policing and criminal justice functions currently held by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland transfer to the Northern Ireland Executive in the future, the Executive would assume responsibility for SOCA as set out in the relevant legislation. This will in practical terms, give the Northern Ireland Executive the power to contribute to the strategic priorities and the annual plan of the Agency, in particular with regards to how SOCA exercises its functions in Northern Ireland, and to be consulted about the appointment to any assistant to the director with specific responsibilities for Northern Ireland.

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the UK ratified the Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 25 January 2007
	The United Kingdom has not ratified the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.
	The Government made clear that, before we could ratify the Optional Protocol, it would be necessary to conduct a thorough assessment to ensure that the measures needed to comply with it had been established. This assessment has been carried out and we are now in a position to commence the process of ratification. Steps are being taken to ensure this process is commenced as soon as possible.

HEALTH

Acute Hospitals

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of the minimum acceptable distance of a fully functioning acute hospital from Sellafield.

Rosie Winterton: North Cumbria acute hospitals national Health service trust is currently developing proposals for a new acute hospital in West Cumbria in the context of the whole system review of health services in Cumbria. Any proposals emerging from this review will be subject to public consultation in due course.

Breast Treatment

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which hospital trusts in England perform mastectomies but do not offer breast reconstruction surgery.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the treatments offered to a patient is not collected.
	However, we do collect data on where procedures are carried out. The table shows the number of mastectomies and breast reconstruction performed in England in 2005-06 broken down by national health service trust.
	The National Institute for Clinical Excellence's (NICE) guidance on "Improving Outcomes for Breast Cancer", published in August 2002, recommends that surgeons should discuss breast reconstruction with all patients.
	Implementation of NICE guidance is a developmental standard as set out in "National Standards, Local Action" published by the Department in July 2004. Progress is expected to be made against the developmental standards across much of the NHS. In 2006-07, the Healthcare Commission will assess trusts against a sample of the developmental standards including those related to clinical and cost effectiveness, which covers the breast cancer guidance. The Healthcare Commission's "Criteria for Assessing Developmental Standards in 2006-07", is available at:
	www.healthcarecommission.org.uk/_db/_documents/Criteria_for_assessing_developmental_standards_0607.pdf
	
		
			  Count of total finished consultant episodes for mastectomy and reconstruction of breast by provider—mastectomy and breast reconstruction defined as using OPCS 4.2 codes—mastectomy: B27.1, B27.2, B27.3, B27.4, B27.5, B27.8 and B27.9—reconstruction of breast: B29.1, B29.2, B29.3, B29.4, B29.5, B29.8, B29.9—possible reconstruction of breast( 1) : B30.1, S48.2 
			  NHS hospitals England 2005-06  Mastectomy  Reconstruction of breast  Possible reconstruction of breast( 1) 
			 South and East Dorset PCT (2)— (2)— 0 
			 Mid Devon PCT (2)— 0 0 
			 Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Trust 106 8 (2)— 
			 Weston Area Health NHS Trust 56 0 0 
			 East Somerset NHS Trust 62 0 0 
			 United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust 94 (2)— (2)— 
			 South Devon Health Care NHS Trust 98 0 (2)— 
			 Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 207 64 18 
			 Southend Hospital NHS Trust 99 7 0 
			 Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust 84 28 8 
			 North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust 51 0 0 
			 The Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust 58 (2)— 0 
			 Kingston Hospital NHS Trust 52 (2)— 0 
			 Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust 95 0 0 
			 West Dorset General Hospitals NHS Trust 69 (2)— (2)— 
			 Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust 154 0 0 
			 Wirral Hospital NHS Trust 109 0 0 
			 St. Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust 102 47 37 
			 Royal Liverpool Children's NHS Trust 14 0 0 
			 The Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust 99 0 0 
			 Christie Hospital NHS Trust 81 30 38 
			 Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust 49 0 0 
			 Bedford Hospital NHS Trust 46 (2)— 0 
			 Ealing Hospital NHS Trust 18 0 0 
			 Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Trust 72 (2)— 0 
			 York Hospitals NHS Trust 144 26 17 
			 Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Health Care NHS Trust 57 0 0 
			 Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust 35 0 0 
			 Airedale NHS Trust 52 (2)— 0 
			 Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust 255 97 23 
			 Sheffield Children's NHS Trust 7 0 (2)— 
			 The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn NHS Trust 89 (2)— (2)— 
			 Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust 130 12 (2)— 
			 Poole Hospital NHS Trust 90 (2)— (2)— 
			 Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Trust 141 44 (2)— 
			 Milton Keynes General Hospital NHS Trust 58 0 0 
			 Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 41 0 0 
			 Essex Rivers Healthcare NHS Trust 143 7 (2)— 
			 Finchley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 102 (2)— (2)— 
			 Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 106 (2)— 0 
			 South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust 58 0 0 
			 Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust 175 0 0 
			 Aintree Hospitals NHS Trust 89 8 (2)— 
			 Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust 190 (2)— 0 
			 Barnsley District General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 102 6 0 
			 Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham University Hosp 2 0 0 
			 The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust 74 0 0 
			 Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 162 8 0 
			 West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust 34 (2)— (2)— 
			 Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust 30 0 0 
			 Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust 93 (2)— (2)— 
			 Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust 72 0 0 
			 Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 119 (2)— 11 
			 James Paget Healthcare NHS Trust 84 6 (2)— 
			 Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust 91 (2)— (2)— 
			 West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust 64 7 0 
			 Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 184 32 20 
			 Queen Mary's Sidcup NHS Trust 31 0 0 
			 Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust 231 43 33 
			 Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust 180 0 0 
			 Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 205 79 48 
			 Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust 190 37 13 
			 Royal Berkshire and Battle Hospitals NHS Trust 120 (2)— (2)— 
			 Guy's and St. Thomas NHS Foundation Trust 225 38 15 
			 The Lewisham Hospital NHS Trust 3 0 0 
			 St. Mary's NHS Trust 67 (2)— (2)— 
			 Mayday Healthcare NHS Trust 71 0 0 
			 St. George's Healthcare NHS Trust 102 9 22 
			 South Warwickshire General Hospitals NHS Trust 89 14 (2)— 
			 Mid Staffordshire General Hospitals NHS Trust 84 7 (2)— 
			 University Hospital Of North Staffordshire NHS Trust 185 62 25 
			 Burton Hospitals NHS Trust 67 13 7 
			 Good Hope Hospital NHS Trust 79 6 0 
			 Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Trust 120 (2)— (2)— 
			 East Cheshire NHS Trust 96 (2)— (2)— 
			 Countess Of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 137 43 10 
			 King's College Hospital NHS Trust 46 0 0 
			 Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust 82 0 0 
			 Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust 192 40 23 
			 University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS 110 7 (2)— 
			 The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust 26 0 0 
			 The Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust 98 6 (2)— 
			 City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust 87 0 0 
			 Hereford Hospitals NHS Trust 61 (2)— (2)— 
			 George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust 63 22 14 
			 Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust 254 45 42 
			 South Manchester University Hospitals NHS Trust 215 84 60 
			 Salford Royal Hospitals NHS Trust 87 16 (2)— 
			 Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust 17 0 0 
			 Bolton Hospitals NHS Trust 152 6 9 
			 Tameside and Glossop Acute Services NHS Trust 85 0 0 
			 Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust 91 16 (2)— 
			 Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust 89 (2)— 7 
			 North Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust 72 (2)— (2)— 
			 Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust 57 0 0 
			 Dudley Group Of Hospitals NHS Trust 147 12 6 
			 Newham University Hospital NHS Trust 39 0 0 
			 Barts and The London NHS Trust 131 13 11 
			 North Cumbria Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 110 (2)— (2)— 
			 Kettering General Hospital NHS Trust 71 0 0 
			 Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust 85 0 0 
			 Salisbury Health Care NHS Trust 118 56 44 
			 Great Ormond Street Hospital For Children NHS Trust 1 0 0 
			 Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 152 8 (2)— 
			 Medway NHS Trust 94 0 0 
			 Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 83 73 40 
			 Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust 123 9 (2)— 
			 Royal West Sussex NHS Trust 45 0 0 
			 The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust 185 156 10 
			 Birmingham Children's Hospital NHS Trust 7 0 8 
			 Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospital 217 25 9 
			 Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust 147 156 11 
			 Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust 21 (2)— 6 
			 Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust 166 32 18 
			 Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust 47 0 6 
			 The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust 96 (2)— (2)— 
			 Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 38 0 0 
			 Heart Of England NHS Foundation Trust 132 0 (2)— 
			 Isle Of Wight Healthcare NHS Trust 44 0 0 
			 Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust 137 17 8 
			 Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust 239 55 42 
			 Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Trust 139 11 (2)— 
			 University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust 177 62 44 
			 University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 55 0 (2)— 
			 The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust 251 80 50 
			 Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 162 11 13 
			 Northumbria Health Care NHS Trust 134 22 0 
			 Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 241 9 43 
			 Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust 222 25 11 
			 Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust 84 (2)— (2)— 
			 Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust 103 (2)— (2)— 
			 South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust 180 32 (2)— 
			 University Hospitals Of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust 165 2 12 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 99 (2)— (2)— 
			 North Bristol NHS Trust 179 37 93 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 127 (2)— 0 
			 Epsom and St. Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust 4 0 0 
			 East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust 157 6 16 
			 North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust 165 19 7 
			 Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust 45 0 0 
			 Central Manchester and Manchester Children's Uni 7 0 (2)— 
			 Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 221 13 30 
			 Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust 186 41 35 
			 United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust 213 6 (2)— 
			 University Hospitals Of Leicester NHS Trust 298 63 28 
			 Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust 147 (2)— 0 
			 West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust 137 31 9 
			 East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust 112 25 10 
			 Stockport NHS Foundation Trust 71 0 0 
			 Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 158 (2)— 0 
			 North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust 102 (2)— (2)— 
			 Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust 170 0 0 
			 East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust 173 (2)— 0 
			 Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust 171 22 14 
			 Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust 151 9 (2)— 
			 Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust 211 31 15 
			 Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS Trust 146 0 0 
			 Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 122 30 22 
			 County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 158 31 14 
			 Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust 116 42 22 
			 East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust 137 (2)— (2)— 
			 Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust 133 (2)— (2)— 
			 Total 17,823 2,409 1,330 
			 (1) Possible reconstruction of the breast (B30.1 and S48.2) can be used to describe forms of reconstruction of the breast but can also apply to other operations on the breast.. (2) Indicates 5 or less.  Notes: 1. Data Quality: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by over 300 NHS Trusts and Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) in England. 2. All operations count of Episodes: these figures represent a count of all Finished Consultant Episodes where the procedure was mentioned in any of the 12 (4 prior to 2002-02) operation fields in a HES record. A record is only included once in each count, even if an operation is mentioned in more than one operation field of the record. 3. Ungrossed Data: figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed.  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for Health and Social Care

Civil Emergencies

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions her Department has held with other relevant Government departments concerning the role of hospitals in civil emergency planning.

Rosie Winterton: In taking forward the Government's Capabilities Programme, the Department has regular discussions with the Cabinet Office civil contingencies secretariat and together with other Government departments in seeking to build resilience across all parts of the United Kingdom. The discussions cover the wider aspects of health emergency planning and include issues relating to the acute trusts' role in civil emergency planning.

Clinical Academic Posts

Laura Moffatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to ensure that clinical academic posts are not affected by NHS financial deficits.

Rosie Winterton: The Department's service level agreement with strategic health authorities for 2007-08 will include the requirement to support these posts.

Colchester General Hospital

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 11 January 2007,  Official Report, column 694W, on Colchester General Hospital, when she expects to make an announcement on the reasonableness of the compensation claim submitted by AMEC and its consortium partners in respect of bidding costs incurred on the cancelled private finance initiative scheme for a project at Colchester General Hospital.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 31 January 2007
	Final discussions on how to administer any compensation payments arising from the claim submitted by AMEC and its consortium partners are continuing between Essex rivers hospitals national health service trust and the Department.

Dentistry

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what improvements have been made in providing NHS dentists in Morecambe and Lunesdale in the last 12 months.

Rosie Winterton: Patients wishing to access national health service dental treatment in the Morecambe and Lunesdale area are directed to the dental access centre in Morecambe and through this route they gain access to an NHS dentist. The number of dentists in the former Morecambe Bay Primary Care Trust (PCT) area is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Numbers of dentists on an open NHS contract within the former Morecambe Bay PCT as at the specified dates 
			   Morecambe Bay PCT 
			 31 March 2005 129 
			 31 March 2006 142 
			 30 June 2006 131 
			 30 September 2006 138 
			  Notes:  1. Information as at 30 June 2006 and 30 September 2006 is based on the new NHS dental contractual arrangements between providers and PCTs, introduced on 1 April 2006. Earlier data are based on the old contractual arrangements between principal dentists and PCTs and, therefore, are not directly comparable.  2. Figures for the numbers of dentists at specified dates may vary depending on the date the figures are compiled. This is because the NHS BSA may be notified of joiners or leavers to or from the general dental services or personal dental services up to several months, or more, after the move has taken place.  Sources: The Information Centre for health and social care  NHS Business Services Authority (BSA)

Dentistry

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of people who  (a) regularly received NHS dental treatment,  (b) regularly received private dental treatment and  (c) were not receiving any regular dental treatment in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: Information is not available on the number of patients accessing regular private treatment or the number accessing no regular dental treatment.
	Information is held on the number of patients accessing national health service dental services. Prior to April 2006 the measure used as a proxy for access was the number of patients registered with an NHS dentist. Registrations lasted 15 months. The following table shows the number of patients registered with an NHS dentist as at 31 March of the years 2002 to 2006.
	
		
			  General dental services (GDS) and personal dental services (PDS): Numbers of patients registered with an NHS dentist and as a proportion of the population in England as at 31 March each year 
			   Number of registrations  Proportion of the population (percentage) 
			 2002 24,263,174 49 
			 2003 23,905,016 48 
			 2004 24,337,674 49 
			 2005 24,127,783 48 
			 2006 24,714,417 49 
			  Notes:  1. 2005 and 2006 percentages have been estimated using Office for National Statistics 2004 mid-year population estimates based on the 2001 Census as these are the latest available.  2. PDS schemes had varying registration periods. To ensure comparability with corresponding GDS data, PDS registrations were estimated using proxy registrations, namely the number of patients seen by PDS practices in the previous 15 months. PDS proxy registrations were not estimated for periods before September 2003, actual registrations were used before this date.  3. Data for 2003 and earlier do not include those PDS schemes that did not have any registrations, such as dental access centres, and are therefore not directly comparable with later data.  4. The data for the year ending March 2006 are the final data on registrations. Under the new arrangements for primary dental care services, the measure used as a proxy for access is no longer registrations but the numbers of patients seen within the most recent 24-month period.  Sources:  The Information Centre for health and social care  NHS Business Services Authority (BSA)

Dentistry

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many NHS dentists there are per head of population in  (a) Leicestershire and  (b) the East Midlands;
	(2)  how many NHS dentists there are per head of population in  (a) London and  (b) the South East.

Rosie Winterton: The information is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Numbers of dentists on open national health service contracts per 100,000 population in England, East Midlands Strategic Health Authority (SHA) and the specified primary care trusts (PCTs) as at 30 September 2006 
			   Dentists per 100,000 population 
			 England 40.22 
			   
			 East Midlands SHA 36.62 
			 Charnwood and North West Leicestershire PCT 44.07 
			 Eastern Leicester PCT 55.54 
			 Hinckley and Bosworth PCT 30.61 
			 Leicester City West PCT 51.67 
			 Melton, Rutland and Harborough PCT 43.34 
			 South Leicestershire PCT 32.83 
			  Notes: 1. England and SHA population data have been estimated using Office for National Statistics 2005 mid-year population estimates based on the 2001 census. PCT data have been estimated using 2004 mid-year population estimates as these are the latest available at this level. 2. Dentists will be counted more than once if they have contracts in more than one PCT or SHA. The England figure excludes duplication.  Sources: The Information Centre for health and social care NHS Business Services Authority (BSA) 
		
	
	
		
			  Numbers of dentists on open NHS contracts per 100,000 population in England, London and the South East Coast Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs) as at 30 September 2006 
			   Dentists per 100,000 population 
			 England 40.22 
			 London SHA 48.13 
			 South East Coast SHA 48.06 
			  Notes: 1. Population data have been estimated using Office for National Statistics 2005 mid-year population estimates based on the 2001 census. 2. Dentists will be counted more than once if they have contracts in more than one SHA. The England figure excludes duplication.  Sources: The Information Centre for health and social care NHS Business Services Authority (BSA)

Dentistry

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many calls NHS Direct has received about dental problems  (a) during normal surgery hours and  (b) out of hours in each month since April 2005.

Andy Burnham: The information is in the table.
	
		
			  Number of telephone calls received by NHS Direct that resulted in a dental disposition from April 2005 to November 2006 
			  Month ( 1) Total ( 2) In-hours ( 2) Out-of-hours 
			  2005
			 April 20,029 8,771 11,258 
			 May 24,333 11,160 13,173 
			 June 22,278 10,422 11,856 
			 July 23,750 9,916 13,834 
			 August 24,309 11,386 12,923 
			 September 23,198 10,562 12,636 
			 October 23,355 10,056 13,299 
			 November 23,070 10,841 12,229 
			 December 24,935 12,482 12,453 
			  2006
			 January 24,749 10,954 13,795 
			 February 22,856 10,622 12,234 
			 March 28,964 14,290 14,674 
			 April 35,579 12,717 22,862 
			 May 35,347 12,017 23,330 
			 June 30,680 13,353 17,327 
			 July 32,003 12,564 19,439 
			 August 41,696 17,590 24,106 
			 September 35,747 15,594 20,153 
			 October 33,722 15,126 18,596 
			 November 31,185 14,168 17,017 
			 (1 )Number of calls recorded by NHS Direct that resulted in a dental disposition. This does not include health information calls regarding the location of dental services, dental charges etc. (2 )Out of hours is classed as all day Saturday and Sunday, during bank holidays and on weekdays after 18:30 in the evening and before 08:00 in the morning. Other times are classed as in-hours.  Source:  NHS Direct, national operations centre

Depression

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department has commissioned into the pharmacological treatment of depression in the elderly.

Rosie Winterton: The Department through its health technology assessment programme is undertaking a £1.6 million randomised controlled trial examining the clinical and cost effectiveness of the use of antidepressants for depression in dementia.

Diabetes

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department plans to take in response to the United Nations Resolution on the threat of a diabetes epidemic.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 18 January 2007
	Diabetes is an epidemic that demands our attention and action. However, we do not think that a resolution in the United Nations General Assembly is the primary way that this will be achieved. We would support an initiative that referred to diabetes within a broader public resolution or sought to raise the profile of non-communicable diseases at the World Health Organization.

Health Services: West Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which  (a) hospitals,  (b) primary care trusts and  (c) foundation trusts in West Lancashire are in budget deficit.

Rosie Winterton: Information on individual hospitals is not collected centrally. The national health service organisations in west Lancashire currently forecasting a deficit are listed in the following table.
	
		
			   £000 
			  NHS organisation  2006-07 month 6 forecast outturn (deficit) 
			 Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust 5,600 
			 University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust 6,357 
			  Source: Department of Health quarter two NHS financial report 2006-07

Hospices

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if her Department will increase its funding for hospices; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible within the national health service for commissioning and funding services for their resident population, including palliative and end of life care. It is for PCTs to determine how to use the funding allocated to them to commission services to meet the health care needs of their local populations. The level of funding a hospice receives is a matter for local negotiation between the PCT and the hospice.
	The end of life care strategy which Ministers have asked the National Cancer Director to develop which will be the means whereby the commitments in the election manifesto and "Our health, our care, our say" are delivered, will also address other important matters such as hospice funding.
	As part of the dignity in care for older people initiative, Ministers have recently announced a capital fund of up to £40 million that adult hospices can bid for to improve their environments.

Independent Sector Treatment Centres

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which independent sector treatment centres have fully completed their national data returns on time; which have supplied incomplete information; and which have not made a return.

Andy Burnham: In the last financial quarter, 21 of 22 independent sector treatment centres made commissioning data sets return on time. The Department expects a return from the Norton NHS treatment centre shortly.
	Kidderminster NHS treatment centre had fully completed all data fields. Generally the completeness of the returns made by providers was good. Where data was not supplied, this would not affect the clinical care that an individual patient receives.

Medical Imaging (Essex) Ltd

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total value was of payments from the public purse from her Department to Medical Imaging (Essex) Limited in each year since 1999.

Andy Burnham: The Department has no record of payments to Medical Imaging (Essex) Ltd.

Mental Health Services

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what decisions were made on the future of mental health services in the Lancaster and Morecambe area in the last 12 months.

Rosie Winterton: A consultation undertaken by seven primary care trusts across Lancashire and Lancashire Care National Health Service Trust supported plans to reconfigure mental health services across Lancashire. This includes the provision of more services to local communities to support care at home or as near to home as possible, the building of three new mental health hospital units, and the closure of the existing mental health hospitals once the new ones were fully operational. The plans are currently being considered by the local authority overview and scrutiny committee.

Morecambe Bay Hospital Trust

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects a new chief executive of Morecambe Bay Hospital Trust to be appointed.

Rosie Winterton: University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay National Health Service Trust announced the appointment of Mr. Tony Halsall as the new chief executive on 22 January 2007. Mr. Halsall is expected to take up the post from April 2007.

NHS Appointments Commission

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her answer of 11 January 2007,  Official Report, column 701W, on the NHS Appointments Commission, who in her Department is responsible for monitoring the performance of the Appointments Commission; what data is supplied to enable such monitoring to take place; and what steps are taken to check the accuracy of such data.

Rosie Winterton: The Department sets key performance indicators for the Appointments Commission and regularly monitor their performance through the scrutiny of reports, performance review meetings with officials and twice yearly meetings with the me. The Commission's board and audit committee also monitor performance, scrutinise data and report to Parliament each year through their annual report. The Commission's processes are further subject to the requirements of the commissioner for public appointments who also reports annually on her findings.

NHS Finance

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will place in the Library a copy of the CD referred to in paragraph 5.576 of her Department's annual report; what the cost was of producing the CD; and what the conclusion was of the evaluation to which she refers.

Rosie Winterton: The compact disk (CD) was produced and 20,000 copies distributed at a cost of £82,000. These were disseminated throughout the HM Prison Service young people's estate and to young offenders. An additional 20,000 copies are currently being prepared at a cost of £32,000. A copy will be placed in the Library shortly.
	The Government's "Hepatitis C Strategy for England" recognised the importance of targeting young people in custody, many of whom are not yet injecting, with primary prevention messages to help them stay safe and avoid risks from blood-borne viruses. As a result, the Department commissioned this CD, as a resource to raise awareness and attempt to influence this group away from injecting and drug use, or at least to adopt harm reduction measures.
	The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine's evaluation of the CD will be published shortly and a copy will be placed in the Library.

NHS Finance

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2007,  Official Report, columns 1418-9W, on NHS finance, what she expects the  (a) remit,  (b) function and  (c) activity of the NHS Bank to be; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 31 January 2007
	As stated in the Departmental Report 2006, the NHS Bank was set up in 2003-04 as a mutual organisation of the 28 strategic health authorities (SHAs) with the purpose of supporting national health service organisations in maximising the use of resources across the NHS over time.
	Its current functions include:
	working with SHAs to manage the profile of capital expenditure across the NHS;
	assisting in the management of the impairments/accelerated depreciation central budget and any other central budgets it is requested to manage; and
	providing advice to the Department on the financial impact of new policy developments.
	It is planned that the future functions and remit of the NHS Bank will be reconsidered shortly.

NHS Services: Cumbria

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) capital and  (b) running costs are of each of the proposed Clinical Assessment, Treatment and Support Services centres for Cumbria and Lancashire.

Andy Burnham: Financial information relating to the scheme is considered commercially sensitive as the scheme is still subject to negotiation. The Department is engaged in negotiations with the independent sector in relation to the provision of similar health care services in other areas. To release information relating to cost at this time would therefore harm the Department's ability to secure best value for money in the procurement of services from the independent sector for the national health service.
	The disclosure of information was considered in line with provision of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

North East Ambulance Service

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many ambulances are based in each local authority area within the area covered by the North East Ambulance Service.

Andy Burnham: This information is not held centrally.

Orthodontistry

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in Tendring are waiting for NHS orthodontic treatment.

Rosie Winterton: The latest, September 2006, commissioner-based figures for Tendring primary care trust show that there were no patients waiting for an orthodontics in-patient appointment and 15 patients waiting for an orthodontics out-patient appointment. They also show that there were 79 patients waiting for an oral surgery in-patient appointment and 107 patients waiting for an oral surgery out-patient appointment. However, most of orthodontic activity is undertaken in community or primary care and data for these waiting times is not held centrally.

Patients: Telephones

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what powers she has to intervene to prevent hospitals from charging patients and public excessively for the use of telephones; and on how many occasions she has exercised those powers;
	(2)  how many complaints she has received on the issue of hospitals charging excessively for the use of telephones by patients and public.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 31 January 2007
	A number of private providers are responsible for installing and managing bedside telephone services and it is these providers, not the hospital themselves, that charge the user directly. The service is provided as a free good to the national health service and the contract is made directly between the patient and the service provider.
	Hospitals can also provide patients with access to payphone facilities which attract the national standard rate charge applicable to the network(s) providing the service.
	In the past two years, some 170 members of the public have written to the Department about integrated bedside television and telephone services. The number of complaints this correspondence may contain is not identified separately.

Prison Service

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which prisons provide on-site screening for blood-borne viruses; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Any prisoner concerned about the possibility of being infected with a blood-borne virus will have pre-test discussion, the test itself, and post-test discussion about the result by a trained health practitioner in the prison. This is similar to the experience of any person requesting such a test in the community.
	These tests are only performed on the basis of clinical risk assessment or patient request.

University Hospitals of Leicester

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for how long she expects the Breast Cancer Family History Service in the University Hospitals of Leicester to be suspended.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not held centrally.
	The provision of services is a matter for agreement between national health service trusts and their commissioning primary care trusts and the strategic health authority for the area, in consultation with local stakeholders. Plans for services should take into consideration local needs and priorities while ensuring they meet core national standards for the delivery of health services.

University Hospitals of Leicester

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many posts within the Clinical Genetics Department at the University Hospitals of Leicester have been frozen.

Andy Burnham: The Department does not collect information centrally on the number or location of frozen posts within the national health service.
	We are aware that a number of trusts have decided to freeze posts as a way of temporarily reducing staff costs, which can assist organisations in returning to financial balance. Post freezes can be a sensible measure if this avoids redundancies and does not increase waiting times or compromise the safe delivery of patient care.

Waiting Times

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate she has made of the  (a) waiting times for treatment by and  (b) capacity of the departments of the (i) orthopaedics, (ii) rheumatology, (iii) ear, nose and throat, (iv) general surgery, (v) urology and (vi) gynaecology departments of (A) West Cumberland hospital and (B) Cumberland infirmary; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: Local primary care trusts are responsible for ensuring that health services are provided to meet the needs of their local population. The information requested on waiting times at North Cumbria Acute Hospitals National Health Service Trust is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Provider based inpatient waiting times for North Cumbria Acute NHS Trust, September 2006 
			 Number waiting, individual timebands (weeks) 
			  Speciality  Total waiting list  Median wait (weeks)  Less than 1  1 to <2  2 to <3  3 to <4  4 to <5  5 to <6  6 to <7 
			 General surgery 1,094 7.2 99 10 9 76 66 62 69 51 
			 Urology 207 6.2 22 19 18 22 13 7 13 
			 Trauma and orthopaedics 1,439 9.7 48 68 90 74 57 90 78 
			 Ear, nose and throat 380 7.7 5 31 30 34 20 20 34 
			 Rheumatology 0 n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Gynaecology 362 9.0 30 30 31 14 20 16 14 
		
	
	
		
			 Number waiting, individual timebands (weeks) 
			  Speciality  Total waiting list  Median wait (weeks)  7 to <8  8 to <9  9 to <10  10 to <11  11 to <12  12 to <13 
			 General surgery 1,094 7.2 72 53 48 37 34 40 
			 Urology 207 6.2 15 7 17 12 8 7 
			 Trauma and orthopaedics 1,439 9.7 10 1 64 74 59 66 64 
			 Ear, nose and throat 380 7.7 23 10 13 8 20 7 
			 Rheumatology 0 n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Gynaecology 362 9.0 8 19 10 32 17 12 
		
	
	
		
			 Number waiting, individual timebands (weeks) 
			  Speciality  Total waiting list  Median wait (weeks)  13 to <14  14 to <15  15 to <16  16 to <17  17 to <18  18 to <19  19 to <20 
			 General surgery 1,094 7.2 39 43 24 34 15 29 19 
			 Urology 207 6.2 5 9 4 1 2 2 0 
			 Trauma and orthopaedics 1,439 9.7 57 66 53 62 29 51 38 
			 Ear, nose and throat 380 7.7 27 10 15 18 7 11 15 
			 Rheumatology 0 n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Gynaecology 362 9.0 7 18 6 12 9 10 11 
		
	
	
		
			 Number waiting, individual timebands (weeks) 
			  Speciality  Total waiting list  Median wait (weeks)  20 to <21  21 to <22  22 to <23  23 to <24  24 to <25  25 to <26  26+ 
			 General surgery 1,094 7.2 10 15 23 14 7 6 0 
			 Urology 207 6.2 1 0 2 1 0 0 0 
			 Trauma and orthopaedics 1,439 9.7 47 43 30 17 7 6 0 
			 Ear, nose and throat 380 7.7 5 8 5 4 0 0 0 
			 Rheumatology 0 n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Gynaecology 362 9.0 13 13 5 1 2 2 0 
		
	
	
		
			  Provider based outpatient waiting times for North Cumbria Acute NHS Trust, September 2006 
			 Number waiting, individual timebands (weeks) 
			  Speciality  Total waiting list  Median wait (weeks)  Less than 1  1 to <2  2 to <3  3 to <4  4 to <5  5 to <6  6 to <7 
			 General surgery 655 3.1 124 120 78 69 65 60 42 
			 Urology 255 3.8 32 33 31 38 35 21 22 
			 Trauma and orthopaedics 1,152 4.4 129 125 157 134 82 87 75 
			 Ear, nose and throat 305 2.1 80 68 54 31 12 12 9 
			 Rheumatology 109 5.3 13 12 14 9 6 4 7 
			 Gynaecology 476 3.1 83 87 65 44 35 32 29 
		
	
	
		
			 Number waiting, individual timebands (weeks) 
			  Speciality  Total waiting list  Median wait (weeks)  7 to <8  8 to <9  9 to <10  10 to <11  11 to <12  12 to <13  13+ 
			 General surgery 655 3.1 33 28 12 17 7 0 0 
			 Urology 255 3.8 18 18 5 0 2 0 0 
			 Trauma and orthopaedics 1,152 4.4 91 77 59 66 42 28 0 
			 Ear, nose and throat 305 2.1 10 10 6 6 5 2 0 
			 Rheumatology 109 5.3 12 10 10 8 4 0 0 
			 Gynaecology 476 3.1 36 21 26 13 5 0 0 
			  Source: Department of Health, KH07 and QM08